France orders expulsion of two Iranian diplomats after embassy staff barred from Tehran

Expulsion orders issued in Paris

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot announced on Tuesday, 18 August 2026, that France will expel two Iranian diplomats in the coming days. The measure follows Tehran's decision to declare two French embassy staff persona non grata after a dispute in the Iranian capital the previous month. Barrot announced the move on social media platform X and in an interview with regional newspaper La Montagne. France's Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs summoned the Iranian ambassador to the Quai d'Orsay on Tuesday to deliver the formal notification.

I had announced that this intolerable act would have consequences. And so it has. Two Iranian diplomats in France will be expelled in the very near future.

The July confrontation in Tehran

The dispute began with an incident on 19 July 2026 in Tehran, where Iranian security forces detained two French embassy employees, including the mission's cultural attaché. The French personnel were meeting with two Iranian graphic designers, Aria Kasaei and Elahe Naghilou, who were also arrested during the encounter and remain in detention. French officials stated that the diplomats were held for several hours, interrogated, and subjected to physical intimidation before being released.

Barrot had condemned the detention on 20 July 2026, calling it an act of intimidation by Iranian security services that breached diplomatic immunity. The two French staff members subsequently left Iran. French officials stated that the staff were responsible for programs supporting Iranian civil society, specifically artists and academic researchers.

Iranian allegations and travel prohibitions

Tehran rejected allegations of mistreatment, asserting that the diplomats were only briefly questioned after attending a meeting with individuals sought by authorities. On Saturday, 15 August 2026, Iran's Intelligence Ministry accused France of conducting an extensive project designed to exert influence within the country and act against Iranian independence.

On Monday, 17 August 2026, the Iranian Foreign Ministry confirmed that the two French employees would not be allowed to return to Iran. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei stated that the French officials had violated the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations through their civil society engagements.

Instead of shedding light on this premeditated and deliberate aggression, punishing the perpetrators, and making the necessary commitments to guarantee the safety of our premises and agents, in accordance with their international obligations, the Iranian authorities have chosen to make completely false accusations against our agents and to fabricate a case of interference to justify their actions.

Bilateral breakdown and timeline

The mutual expulsions follow persistent strains in relations between Paris and Tehran. French Foreign Ministry spokespersons, including Pascal Confavreux and Glenn Salic, said Iranian authorities fabricated interference claims instead of investigating the aggression against foreign staff. Barrot had summoned the Iranian chargé d'affaires in Paris immediately following the July incident, leading to Tuesday's expulsion orders.