Iranian authorities on Sunday (September 20, 2026) announced the closure of a French language centre associated with the embassy, accusing it of having undertaken “illegal activities”, drawing a sharp response from Paris.
Last month, France announced the expulsion of two Iranian diplomats in response to the brief arrest and banning of two French envoys to the Islamic republic. The French Foreign Ministry said Sunday (September 20): “This new attack on the French cultural presence in Iran… is unjustifiable and unacceptable.
“Based on the Tehran prosecutor’s office, the illegal centre affiliated with the French embassy in Tehran, which has operated for years under the guise of language instruction, was closed,” the judiciary’s Mizan news website said, referring to the French Language Centre (CLF). The Ministry also said it would summon Iran’s ambassador at the request of French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot.
