{
  "id": 1821319,
  "title": "France to expel two Iranian diplomats in coming days, foreign minister says",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/18/france-to-expel-two-iranian-diplomats-in-coming-days-foreign-minister-1821319",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-18T23:12:33.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Jerusalem Post",
    "slug": "jerusalem-post",
    "url": "https://www.jpost.com/international/article-905936"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "France announces plans to expel two Iranian diplomats in response to an incident involving embassy staff in Tehran. Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot stated that this \"intolerable act\" would have consequences, which have now materialized. The French ministry had previously accused Iranian security services of detaining and physically intimidating two French embassy staff members in July. In protest of this incident, Barrot summoned the Iranian charge d'affaires in Paris. However, the Iranian Foreign Ministry has now responded, stating that the two French embassy employees were involved in a diplomatic dispute in Tehran and violated the Vienna Convention. This convention outlines the rules and privileges of diplomatic missions. Esmaeil Baghaei, spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, claimed that the French staff engaged in activities supporting Iranian civil society, which led to their expulsion. The French Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Pascal Confavreux, criticized the Iranian authorities for making false accusations against their agents and fabricating a case of interference to justify their actions.",
  "summary": "The French ministry said last month that two French embassy staff had been detained and physically intimidated by Iranian security services in Tehran.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Middle East Eye",
        "title": "France to expel two Iranian diplomats in coming days, foreign minister says",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/18/france-to-expel-two-iranian-diplomats-in-coming-days-foreign-minister",
        "published": "2026-08-18T19:37:48.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Al-Monitor",
        "title": "France to expel two Iranian diplomats in coming days, foreign minister says",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/18/france-to-expel-two-iranian-diplomats-in-coming-days-foreign-minister-1800599",
        "published": "2026-08-18T20:46:35.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}