France summoned Iran’s chargé d’affaires in Paris on Tuesday, two days after two French embassy employees were detained and, according to French officials, physically intimidated by Iranian security services in Tehran. The French foreign ministry said it expects Iranian authorities to “shed light on this incident, punish the perpetrators, and ensure the security of its premises and personnel, in accordance with their international obligations.” The move came hours after Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot described the Sunday incident as a “premeditated and deliberate” assault and a “flagrant violation” of the Vienna Conventions, warning that the “extremely serious and unacceptable violation of the integrity of our agents cannot go without consequences.”

Viewed from Paris, the two staff members — responsible for cultural and civil-society support programmes, including outreach to Iranian artists and scientists — were detained without justification, interrogated for several hours, and one was subjected to physical violence before being allowed to return to the embassy. French diplomatic sources told Le Figaro that the pair were held at the site of their arrest and were not imprisoned, but the episode was condemned as a “shocking” act of intimidation. Barrot said he had conveyed the same message directly to his Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghchi, and that the diplomats were safe and expected to return to France imminently.

In Tehran’s account, however, the two French diplomats had themselves engaged in “unconventional” behaviour incompatible with diplomatic norms and host-country regulations. During a telephone call with Barrot on Tuesday, Araghchi protested the conduct as “unacceptable” and insisted that compliance with Iranian laws and internationally recognised diplomatic principles is essential for the continued operation of foreign missions. He urged the French government to prevent any recurrence and to take the necessary measures. Iranian state-linked media further framed the incident within a broader narrative of external pressure, with Araghchi separately asserting that the closure of the Strait of Hormuz was a direct consequence of the United States’ failure to uphold its commitments under the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding, and that responsibility for regional instability lay with the party that had abandoned diplomacy.

The diplomatic clash unfolds against a backdrop of deepening friction between Iran and European powers. France has been a vocal proponent of maintaining EU sanctions on Iran unless Tehran curbs its nuclear programme and what Paris calls destabilising regional activities. Ties have also been strained by Iran’s detention of several French nationals in recent years, which rights groups and Western governments describe as state hostage-taking. According to a source cited by Iran International, French authorities are now reviewing a possible reduction of embassy staff in Tehran, and some personnel have requested early return to France. No official response from Iranian authorities to the summons has been issued, and the dossier remains open as both sides exchange warnings through diplomatic channels.