Overview
- Iran's judiciary and the Tehran prosecutor's office said they sealed the French Language Centre in Tehran on Sunday, Sept. 20, citing years of operation without a licence and actions they call harmful to culture and national security.
- Tehran accused the centre of using language classes to identify and network with Iranians and to help skilled people leave the country, a charge Paris rejects as unfounded intimidation of its cultural work.
- France condemned the closure, announced it will summon Iran's ambassador and said it will take appropriate measures in response, with the Quai d'Orsay calling the move an attack on France's cultural presence.
- The incident follows a summer of diplomatic friction that included the detention and expulsion of diplomats and a public exchange between the two foreign ministers over a post on Mahsa Amini, increasing the risk that their planned UN meeting could further escalate tensions.
- The closure will disrupt thousands of Iranians who use the centre for French courses and could prompt reciprocal steps or limited diplomatic measures from Paris while observers watch whether the UN‑level meeting opens a path to de‑escalation.