France Bans 'Non-Essential' Travel of Diplomats and Officials to Iran

Reuters reported in an exclusive story citing a directive from the French Foreign Ministry that diplomats and other officials have been instructed to avoid 'non-essential travel to Iran.' The directive, which Reuters claims has been seen by its reporter, also warns that personal travel to Iran by individuals holding diplomatic passports will not be covered by diplomatic immunity. The news agency attributed this decision to concerns over a planned bombing in France by Iran and a stricter approach towards Tehran. About two months ago, an Iranian diplomat and three others were arrested in European countries on charges of planning a bombing at a gathering of the Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization near Paris, although Iran has denied involvement in the incident. According to Reuters, the French Foreign Ministry declined to comment on the directive signed by Maurice Gourdault-Montagne, an official at the ministry, and also refrained from requesting French embassy staff in Tehran to return their families to France. In this context, the Iranian embassy in Paris also did not respond to Reuters' request for comment on this report. France is among the countries that have supported the nuclear agreement (JCPOA) with Iran following the U.S. withdrawal from it on May 8 of this year. However, Emmanuel Macron, the President of France, on September 27, spoke in a phone conversation with his Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani about the necessity of dialogue with Tehran regarding Iran's ballistic missile program and its role in the region. French, German, and British officials have repeatedly emphasized the need for such dialogues. Nonetheless, Tehran has particularly opposed any negotiations regarding its missile capabilities and has called for practical actions from the European Union to preserve the JCPOA. In this regard, Hassan Rouhani, in his phone conversation with Emmanuel Macron, emphasized Iran's willingness to remain in the JCPOA, stating that 'if the future of the European action plan regarding financial and monetary channels, oil, insurance, and transportation is not clear,' the Islamic Republic 'will take other actions.'