'Crocodile tears' over Mahsa Amini: Iran calls out France for silence on Minab school bombing

France plans to summon Iran's ambassador in response to Tehran's closure of a language school in Tehran, escalating a diplomatic dispute between the two nations. Pascal Confavreux, a spokesman for France's Foreign Ministry, condemned the move as "unjustifiable and unacceptable." This follows an incident last July when French embassy staff members were assaulted by Iranian officials.

Two months prior, Iranian authorities briefly detained and expelled two French diplomats, one of whom was physically harmed. In retaliation, France expelled two Iranian diplomats.

The two nations have a history of tense relations, with Paris spearheading efforts to reinstate UN sanctions on Iran last year due to its nuclear program. France has also accused Iran of detaining foreigners as part of its "hostage diplomacy." Two French citizens were freed from detention in April after spending three and a half years in captivity.

According to Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency, the French language school was closed on a judicial order from Tehran's prosecutor's office. Iranian authorities claimed the center operated under the "cover" of foreign-language teaching, despite numerous warnings to obtain a proper license. They accused the school of engaging in activities against Iranian culture and national security, such as identifying and building networks, as well as facilitating the departure of skilled Iranians from the country.

France has dismissed these allegations, attributing them to a pattern of intimidation as Paris aims to bolster its support for Iran's civil society following a crackdown on protests earlier this year.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot's recent social media post, marking the fourth anniversary of the death of Mahsa Amini, which sparked nationwide protests, triggered Iran's ire. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi called the post "crocodile tears" and accused France of sacrificing 1.5 million Algerians during the country's war of independence.

Araghchi also referred to a US airstrike on Iranian schoolchildren, saying Paris's silence on the matter demonstrated its complicity. The two ministers are scheduled to meet on Tuesday during the United Nations General Assembly in New York to discuss Iran's blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, the country's nuclear program, and Iran's proxies and their implications for the US-Iran conflict.

French President Emmanuel Macron indicated that a deal between Iran and the US to reopen the strait is unlikely in the near future, as the initiative launched with the UK depends on Iran and the US finalizing an agreement, which seems improbable in the short term.