Iranian authorities have closed the French Language Centre in Tehran, accusing the embassy-affiliated facility of operating without a license and recruiting local elites to facilitate their departure. France strongly condemned the closure as an unacceptable attack on its cultural presence, vowing to summon Iran's ambassador and take reciprocal measures. This escalation follows a series of diplomatic disputes, including mutual diplomat expulsions and a recent rhetorical clash over the anniversary of Mahsa Amini's death.
French language centre closure
- ▪The Iranian judiciary's Mizan news website and the Tasnim news agency reported the closure of the French Language Centre on September 20, 2026.
- ▪The French Language Centre in Tehran operated for years as an educational facility affiliated with the French embassy in Iran.
- ▪Iranian authorities closed the French Language Centre in Tehran on September 20, 2026, following a judicial order from the Tehran prosecutor's office.
Iran-France diplomatic tensions
- ▪In August 2026, France expelled two Iranian diplomats after Iranian authorities briefly arrested and expelled two French diplomats over alleged internal interference.
- ▪Relations between France and Iran have been strained for years over Iran's nuclear programme and Tehran's detention of several French nationals.
- ▪French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi are scheduled to meet on September 22, 2026, at the United Nations General Assembly.
Iranian security allegations
- ▪France dismissed Iran's security allegations, stating they represent a pattern of intimidation following increased French support for Iranian civil society.
- ▪Iranian authorities accused the French Language Centre in Tehran of operating without a license and conducting illegal activities that violated diplomatic conventions
- ▪The Iranian judiciary alleged the French Language Centre in Tehran built networks among Iranian elites and facilitated the departure of skilled citizens from Iran
French reciprocal measures
- ▪The French Foreign Ministry announced on September 20, 2026, that it would summon Iran's ambassador to Paris and take appropriate reciprocal measures.
- ▪French Foreign Ministry spokesperson Pascal Confavreux linked the closure of the French Language Centre in Tehran to a prior July 2026 assault on two French embassy staff members
- ▪French Foreign Ministry spokesperson Pascal Confavreux called the closure of the French Language Centre in Tehran an unjustifiable and unacceptable attack on France's cultural presence
Mahsa Amini anniversary dispute
- ▪Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi accused France of historical atrocities in Algeria and remaining silent during historical US strikes affecting Iranian children.
- ▪Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi criticized a social media post by French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot marking the fourth anniversary of Mahsa Amini's death
Debatable claims
- ▪French support for Iranian civil society constitutes unacceptable interference in Iran's internal affairs
- ▪France should impose reciprocal diplomatic sanctions on Iran for closing the language centre
- ▪Iran's closure of the French Language Centre is a justified national security measure
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