PARIS, July 20 (Xinhua) -- Two staff members of the French Embassy in Iran were detained and questioned for several hours by Iranian security services on Sunday evening, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said on Monday.
In a post on social media platform X, Barrot described the incident as an "extremely serious act of intimidation" by Iranian security services. He said one of the two staff members had been "mistreated" and alleged that the incident constituted a "flagrant violation" of their diplomatic immunity.
Both staff members later returned safely to the French embassy and are expected to return to France in the coming hours, Barrot said.
According to Barrot, the two staff members are involved in French programs supporting Iranian civil society, including artists and scientists.
Barrot said he had informed the Iranian foreign minister that what he called a "very serious and unacceptable" violation of the integrity of French personnel "could not remain without consequences." ■