DUBAI, July 22 (Reuters) – Two French diplomats at the centre of a dispute between France and Iran were not ill-treated by Iranian security personnel, according to an Iranian foreign ministry official quoted by state media on Wednesday.
France has said that the diplomats in Tehran had their phones taken, were forbidden to contact the embassy and verbally intimidated, breaking international diplomatic conventions. One of the officials, the cultural attache, was hit.
The French foreign ministry on Tuesday summoned the Iranian charge d’affaires to protest the incident.
“France expects the 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 French foreign ministry said on Tuesday.
According to Iranian Foreign Ministry official Mohammad Tanhaei, Iranian security personnel questioned two French embassy staff who held a meeting with individuals who are being investigated for security reasons.
“Security agents transferred the two individuals to the diplomatic police as soon as they realised their link to the French embassy,” he was quoted as saying, adding that there was no intimidation.
France’s foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Wednesday.
Earlier in the week, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot warned his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araqchi that the incident would not go without consequences.
Araqchi told Barrot that the actions of the diplomats were “unconventional and unprofessional,” according to a Tuesday post on his Telegram account, without elaborating on what those actions were.
Araqchi also urged Paris to prevent similar incidents from recurring.
“Respecting the laws and regulations of the host country and adhering to recognised diplomatic principles and norms are necessary for the continuation of the activities of foreign missions,” he said.
(Reporting by Elwely Elwelly in Dubai and John Irish in Paris; Editing by Edwina Gibbs)
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