Iran calls France's decision to expel two Iranian diplomats 'illegal'

Iran's foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei denounced France's recent decision to expel two Iranian diplomats, calling it "illegal" and suggesting it would not benefit bilateral relations. At a press conference, Baqaei emphasized that France's action was a response to Iran's own legal measures and was not conducive to improving ties between the two nations.

Earlier in the week, Baqaei had announced that two French diplomats, who were briefly detained in Iran last July amid allegations of interference in Iran's internal affairs, would not be allowed to return to Tehran. In response, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot announced that two Iranian diplomats in France would be expelled in the coming days.

Barrot argued that the expulsion was a reaction to the "intolerable" treatment of the French diplomats, who were arrested in Tehran last month. The French officials, he claimed, had been targeted by Iranian officials in a blatant violation of diplomatic immunity and had endured an "extremely serious act of intimidation" at the hands of Iran's security service.

Baqaei had previously urged Paris to apologize for the actions of the French diplomats, which he deemed as a breach of the Vienna Convention.