In a statement, Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said that the two diplomats were targeted by the Iranian officials late on Sunday “in flagrant violation of diplomatic immunity”.

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Both were “detained for several hours without reason, interrogated and one of them was physically abused” before they were able to return to the embassy, he said.

They were now safe and expected to return to France within hours, Barrot added.

“The assault is all the more shocking given these two officials oversee our programmes supporting civil society, particularly Iranian artists and scientists.” 

France’s top diplomat said he had warned his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi that the “serious and unacceptable” incident “cannot go without consequences”.

Last week, Barrot reiterated that European sanctions on Iran would not be lifted unless Tehran abandoned its nuclear programme and what Paris calls its destabilising activities in the region.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP)