Iran has shut down the French Language Centre in Tehran, an institution linked to the French Embassy. Iranian authorities accused the centre of operating without a license and engaging in activities directed against national security, Caliber.Az reports, citing Brazilian online publication The Rio Times.
Iranian judicial authorities said the centre, known by its French abbreviation CLF, had operated for years under the cover of language courses. According to officials, it had repeatedly ignored warnings that it needed to obtain a license.
The Tehran Prosecutor’s Office announced the center’s closure pursuant to a court order. Iranian authorities accused the institution of activities directed against Iranian-Islamic culture and national security.
They alleged that the centre identified members of the elite and established networks among them, while also facilitating the departure of qualified Iranians from the country. This characterisation presents the language school as a security threat rather than simply a cultural institution.
France’s Foreign Ministry called the closure unacceptable and described it as an attack on the country’s cultural presence in Iran. The ministry warned that France would take appropriate retaliatory measures and summon Iran’s ambassador.
Tensions between Paris and Tehran escalated in July, when Iranian authorities detained two employees of the French Embassy for several hours. France condemned the incident as a violation of diplomatic immunity. In August, Paris announced that it would expel two Iranian diplomats in retaliation for the treatment of its employees.
