Iran shuts down French cultural center over security concerns

Tehran says the embassy-linked institution operated without authorization and engaged in activities which threatened national security Iran has shut down a French-language center in Tehran, accusing the embassy-affiliated institution of operating illegally and engaging in activities which threaten the country’s national security.Relations between Paris and Tehran have deteriorated despite France staying out of the war which the US and Israel launched against Iran in late February and denouncing the initial strikes as a breach of international law.In July, two French diplomats were detained by Iranian security services, which accused them of interfering in the country’s internal affairs. They were subsequently expelled from the country. France retaliated in August by expelling two of Iran’s diplomats.“Based on the Tehran prosecutor’s office’s order, the illegal center affiliated with the French Embassy in Tehran, which has operated for years under the guise of language instruction, has been closed,” the Iranian judiciary’s Mizan news agency said on Sunday.Iranian authorities claimed that the institution had repeatedly ignored warnings to obtain the licenses required under the countr...