Why it matters:
The diplomatic flare-up highlights Tehran’s readiness to push back when political messages are attached to cultural platforms, such as the Cannes Film Festival.
The big picture:
The French foreign minister had used a post on social platform X to repeat Western human rights accusations against Iran, coinciding with the awarding of the Palme d’Or to an Iranian filmmaker at the Cannes Film Festival.
Tehran viewed the statement as politically charged and timed to leverage a cultural moment for diplomatic pressure.
What Iran is saying:
Mohammad Tanhaei, head of the Western Europe Division at Iran’s Foreign Ministry, conveyed a formal protest to the French chargé d’affaires.
“France, as a key supporter of the Zionist regime and its continued violations of human rights, especially the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination, has no moral authority to lecture others on human rights,” he said.
He condemned the remarks as a “blatant interference in Iran’s internal affairs” and called them “irresponsible and provocative.”
Tanhaei also criticized France for “politicizing a cultural event” to advance anti-Iran narratives.
He demanded an official explanation from the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Go deeper:
Leader questions France’s double standards on ‘freedom of expression’
Mojtaba Darabi
