ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – Iran on Sunday closed the French Language Center (CLF), affiliated with the French Embassy in Tehran, accusing it of conducting activities that were “threatening national security” and undermining the country’s cultural norms.

The center was closed by order of Tehran’s Prosecutor's Office, state broadcaster IRIB reported, adding that it carried out projects “against Iranian-Islamic culture and contrary to national security, and has undertaken the identification, networking, and facilitation of the exit of elites from the country.”

The report claimed that several warnings had previously been issued to obtain an “operating license in accordance with national laws and regulations,” which the diplomatic mission allegedly refused to do.

In July, France said that two officials from its embassy in Tehran were detained by Iranian security forces "without reason" for several hours and interrogated, claiming that one of them was "assaulted,” with French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot describing the incident as an "extremely serious" act of intimidation by Tehran.

Tehran later denied the allegations as “baseless and false,” claiming that they were involved in a meeting with “security suspects.”

In April, two French nationals who had been detained in Iran for more than three years were released. Tehran allowed them to leave the country under an agreement with Paris to withdraw its case before the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

The pair were sentenced to 31 and 32 years' imprisonment in October by Iran’s judiciary on charges of spying for French intelligence, cooperation with Israel, and compromising the country's security.

The two French academics were held in Iranian custody after being detained in 2022 during a trip to the country, at a time when Iran was witnessing one of its largest nationwide uprisings following the death of Zhina (Mahsa) Amini in police custody, known as the “Woman, Life, Freedom” (Jin, Jiyan, Azadi) movement.

Tehran has frequently accused European nationals traveling to Iran of espionage or fomenting unrest, allegations that critics say are part of a broader pattern of Iran’s hostage diplomacy.