Iran accuses France of 'meddling' as ties strain over unrest
In a tense exchange, Iran's top diplomat has accused Paris of being intentionally confrontational while his French counterpart piled pressure on Iran over the detention of French nationals.
Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said Wednesday that France was meddling in his country's affairs and taking a confrontational approach toward the Islamic Republic as tensions between the two sides worsen.
In a phone call with his French counterpart Catherine Colonna, the Iranian minister warned that Tehran's response will be "immediate and effective," according to a report by the government-run IRNA news agency. Amir-Abdollahian claimed that Paris was "instigating riots" in Iran, using the state's verbiage for the ongoing anti-government protests in the country that were sparked in mid-September by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini while in the custody of hijab-enforcing police.
France has been an outspoken critic of the Islamic Republic's response to the unrest, in which at least 527 protesters have been killed, as documented by the foreign-based Human Rights Activists News Agency. At least four protesters are known to have been executed so far.
Daily Statistics on Iran Protests
For details and more statistics, read HRANA's report:https://t.co/AO1LLop5by#Iran#IranProtests pic.twitter.com/eRk6TAFb0P
