France Restricts Travel by Diplomats to Iran: Report
PARIS (Dispatches) -- France has told its diplomats and foreign ministry officials to postpone indefinitely all non-essential travel to Iran, citing an alleged bomb plot in Paris and an alleged hardening of Tehran’s attitude towards France, Reuters reported on Tuesday.
European countries including France have pledged to safeguard Iran’s interests following U.S. withdrawal from a 2015 nuclear deal, but have been unable so far to persuade their firms to defy Washington and stay in Iran.
French oil and gas major Total and its carmakers PSA and Renault have led an exodus of European companies from Iran, fearful of the extra-territorial reach of Washington’s sanctions.
An internal memo seen by Reuters cites an alleged plot to bomb a rally held by MKO terrorists near Paris that was attended by Trump’s lawyer Rudy Giuliani as a sign of Tehran’s more aggressive stance towards France.
"The behavior of the Iranian authorities suggests a hardening of their position vis-a-vis our country, as well as some of our allies,” Maurice Gourdault-Montagne, the ministry’s secretary general wrote in the notice dated Aug. 20.
"Given the known security risks ... all departmental officers, whether from headquarters or (overseas) posts, are required to defer until further notice, except for urgent work, any travel plans in Iran,” Gourdault-Montagne added.
Tehran has rejected any role in the alleged plot which it says was timed to undermine Iranian President Hassan Rouhani’s visit to Europe in July.
The Islamic Republic has said it has irrefutable evidence showing those involved in the alleged plot were MKO members. The occupying regime of Israel which is fiercely opposed to Europe’s efforts to save the nuclear deal with Iran has admitted cooperating with European intelligence services to "uncover” the plot.
The French instructions were also relayed to officials in government departments outside the foreign ministry to be passed on to staff who intended to travel to Iran, a separate memo obtained by Reuters showed.
The French foreign ministry declined to comment on the memo or say whether embassy staff had been asked to repatriate their families. Iranian officials at the Embassy in Paris did not respond to a request for comment.
France’s latest travel advisory for its citizens, published on May 10, cautions against visitors entering Iran with electronic equipment such as drones and walkie-talkies and taking too many photographs.
President Rouhani on Monday urged the remaining signatories to the nuclear agreement to act to save the pact.
Macron reiterated France’s commitment to maintaining the accord, but Europe’s leaders have appeared powerless to prevent their companies from leaving Iran.
The ministry memo said any staffer who traveled to Iran for personal reasons would not be shielded by diplomatic immunity, even if holding a diplomatic passport. It made specific reference to tourism and language classes.
Britain’s foreign ministry said its advice on Iran to diplomats was the same as to the British public.
European countries including France have pledged to safeguard Iran’s interests following U.S. withdrawal from a 2015 nuclear deal, but have been unable so far to persuade their firms to defy Washington and stay in Iran.
French oil and gas major Total and its carmakers PSA and Renault have led an exodus of European companies from Iran, fearful of the extra-territorial reach of Washington’s sanctions.
An internal memo seen by Reuters cites an alleged plot to bomb a rally held by MKO terrorists near Paris that was attended by Trump’s lawyer Rudy Giuliani as a sign of Tehran’s more aggressive stance towards France.
"The behavior of the Iranian authorities suggests a hardening of their position vis-a-vis our country, as well as some of our allies,” Maurice Gourdault-Montagne, the ministry’s secretary general wrote in the notice dated Aug. 20.
"Given the known security risks ... all departmental officers, whether from headquarters or (overseas) posts, are required to defer until further notice, except for urgent work, any travel plans in Iran,” Gourdault-Montagne added.
Tehran has rejected any role in the alleged plot which it says was timed to undermine Iranian President Hassan Rouhani’s visit to Europe in July.
The Islamic Republic has said it has irrefutable evidence showing those involved in the alleged plot were MKO members. The occupying regime of Israel which is fiercely opposed to Europe’s efforts to save the nuclear deal with Iran has admitted cooperating with European intelligence services to "uncover” the plot.
The French instructions were also relayed to officials in government departments outside the foreign ministry to be passed on to staff who intended to travel to Iran, a separate memo obtained by Reuters showed.
The French foreign ministry declined to comment on the memo or say whether embassy staff had been asked to repatriate their families. Iranian officials at the Embassy in Paris did not respond to a request for comment.
France’s latest travel advisory for its citizens, published on May 10, cautions against visitors entering Iran with electronic equipment such as drones and walkie-talkies and taking too many photographs.
President Rouhani on Monday urged the remaining signatories to the nuclear agreement to act to save the pact.
Macron reiterated France’s commitment to maintaining the accord, but Europe’s leaders have appeared powerless to prevent their companies from leaving Iran.
The ministry memo said any staffer who traveled to Iran for personal reasons would not be shielded by diplomatic immunity, even if holding a diplomatic passport. It made specific reference to tourism and language classes.
Britain’s foreign ministry said its advice on Iran to diplomats was the same as to the British public.