Iran says French language center in Tehran closed over "illegal" operations

Iran's Foreign Ministry said on Monday that law enforcement forces closed an institute affiliated with the French Embassy because it had carried out "illegal" operations.

In a statement, the ministry highlighted the French Embassy's "persistent and prolonged disregard" of repeated warnings from relevant Iranian authorities over the past few years regarding the necessity to legally register the French Language Center and to obtain a permit for its operations.

The statement was issued after French Foreign Ministry spokesperson, in a statement on Sunday, described the closure as a "new attack against France's cultural presence in Iran," which is "unjustifiable and unacceptable." He said, Paris will "take appropriate measures to respond".