Iran says two French embassy employees barred from returning

DUBAI, Aug 17 (Reuters) – Iran said on Monday that two French embassy employees involved in a diplomatic dispute last month would not be allowed to return to Iran.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said the two had violated the Vienna Convention – which defines the rules and privileges of diplomatic missions –  engaging in activities supporting Iranian civil society.

“Insisting that these individuals were engaged in activities related to supporting civil society is itself an admission that the Vienna Convention was violated,” Baghaei told a weekly press conference, without elaborating.

Tehran has long been highly sensitive to what it sees as Western meddling in its internal affairs, especially since the U.S. and Israel launched attacks on Iran in late February in a conflict that continues to rage.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot, in an interview with France Inter last month, said the mission of the two embassy employees concerned was to “develop programmes supporting Iranian civil society, students, and artists (…) France is one of the countries in the world that does the most for Iranian civil society, and we have paid the price for it.” 

France summoned Iran’s charge d’affaires on July 21 after accusing Iranian security forces of detaining and physically intimidating its embassy staff in Tehran.

(Reporting by Dubai NewsroomEditing by Gareth Jones)