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France will expel two Iranian diplomats in the coming days, Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot announced Tuesday, in retaliation for the assault of two French diplomats in Tehran last month.
The decision marks the latest escalation in a diplomatic standoff between Paris and Tehran that began in July, when two employees of the French embassy in the Iranian capital were assaulted and held incommunicado for several hours without explanation. The two diplomats returned to France on July 23 and were informed Monday that Iran had declared them persona non grata, barring them from returning to the country.
Barrot disclosed the retaliatory measure in an interview with the Centre-France media group, saying the expulsions would take place "in the coming days."
Writing on X, Barrot said the assault on the French diplomats on July 19 was carried out "scandalously and deliberately," and stressed that France's outreach to Iranian artists, scientists and researchers was precisely why the attack had occurred. He said he had previously warned that the episode would carry consequences, adding: "It has been done. Two Iranian diplomats in France will be expelled in the coming days."
The minister also placed the incident within the broader context of the situation facing ordinary Iranians. He described the Iranian people as "a great people" who are "the primary victims of this period of extreme tension in the Middle East," saying they are caught between the crackdown on the January 2026 protests and ongoing bombings.
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The exchange of expulsions follows a familiar pattern in diplomatic disputes, in which states declare foreign officials persona non grata, a formal designation barring an individual from a country, typically in response to conduct deemed hostile or unacceptable. Such measures are among the most visible tools available to governments seeking to signal displeasure without severing diplomatic relations outright.
Tehran's decision to bar the two French diplomats came roughly a month after the assault itself, while Paris's countermeasure was announced within weeks of that decision, underscoring the pace at which the standoff has escalated since July.
Barrot's interview, published by the Centre-France group, did not identify the two Iranian diplomats set to be expelled from France, nor did it specify their posts or functions within Iran's diplomatic mission. The minister did not provide additional details on the circumstances of the July assault beyond confirming that French personnel had been targeted.
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