French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot announced that two French Embassy employees in Tehran were detained by Islamic Republic security forces on Sunday evening, with one of them being physically assaulted.
Writing on the social media platform X on Monday, July 20, Barrot stated that, despite holding diplomatic immunity, the two staff members were detained without cause and interrogated for several hours, during which one of them was physically attacked.
He added that both individuals eventually returned safely to the French Embassy and are scheduled to leave Iran for France in the coming hours.
The French Foreign Minister called the incident particularly shocking because the two employees were responsible for overseeing French programmes supporting Iranian civil society, specifically Iranian artists and researchers.
Barrot commended the “courage” of the two staffers in fulfilling their duties, affirming that France remains at the forefront of supporting the Iranian people and will not abandon them. He expressed his full support and solidarity with the two employees, as well as with the French Ambassador in Tehran.
