Iran seals French language centre in Tehran as Paris summons ambassador

Judicial closure of the Tehran language centre

On 20 September 2026, Iranian judicial authorities sealed the French Language Centre (Centre de Langue Française, or CLF) in Tehran following an order issued by the local prosecutor's office. Reporting by the judiciary's Mizan news outlet and the semi-official Tasnim news agency indicated that the facility had operated under the cover of foreign-language instruction without obtaining an official operating licence. Iranian authorities accused the centre of conducting activities contrary to Iranian culture and national security, claiming that it violated diplomatic conventions by establishing networks among the country's elite figures and facilitating the departure of skilled Iranian citizens abroad.

The language centre had maintained operations in the Iranian capital for more than 20 years. In addition to regular language classes, the institution administered standardized language examinations and maintained a dedicated media library accessible to local students and researchers.

French diplomatic reaction and ambassador summons

The French Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs condemned the entry of Iranian security forces into the premises and the subsequent shutdown of the educational facility. French officials announced that Paris will adopt appropriate countermeasures in response to the judicial decision. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Pascal Confavreux described the Iranian action as an unwarranted escalation targeting French institutions.

“This new attack against France's cultural presence in Iran, following the assault on two staff members of the French embassy last July, is unjustifiable and unacceptable.”

Following instructions from French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot, the French foreign ministry confirmed that it will summon the Iranian ambassador in Paris to the Quai d'Orsay. French diplomatic representatives emphasized that the closure penalizes the thousands of Iranian citizens who participate each year in courses organized by the centre.

Sequence of diplomatic expulsions and disputes

The dispute at the language centre follows a succession of diplomatic altercations between Paris and Tehran across 2026. In July 2026, Iranian security forces detained two French embassy staff members in Tehran for several hours, with Barrot stating that one diplomat suffered mistreatment during custody. The Iranian Intelligence Ministry asserted that the diplomats were held during a national security inquiry for alleged domestic interference under the guise of civil society engagement. Following the incident, Tehran barred the two French diplomats from working in the country, prompting the French government in August 2026 to expel two Iranian diplomats stationed in Paris.

Bilateral friction ahead of United Nations meeting

Friction intensified further in the days preceding the centre's closure. After Barrot published a social media statement marking the fourth anniversary of the death of Mahsa Amini, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi responded on Friday, characterizing the remarks as insincere and referencing the deaths of 1.5 million Algerians during Algeria's war of independence.

The shutdown follows an earlier closure of French cultural infrastructure in Tehran. In January 2023, Iranian authorities closed the French Institute of Research in Iran (IFRI), a research centre operating for several decades with a prominent academic library, following caricatures published by French magazine Charlie Hebdo depicting Iranian leadership. Barrot and Araqchi are scheduled to meet on Tuesday, 22 September 2026, at the annual United Nations General Assembly in New York.