Iran, France ministers discuss protests after European criticism

Iran’s foreign minister has spoken by phone with his French counterpart following European criticism of the violent crackdown by Iranian security forces on demonstrators.

In the Tuesday evening call with French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot, the two discussed recent “events,” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in a post on Telegram on Wednesday.

Barrot had sharply condemned the deadly suppression of mass protests in Iran on Tuesday and summoned Iran’s ambassador in Paris.

Speaking in parliament, he described the demonstrations as a “call for freedom” and a “peaceful revolt” that was being crushed in an inhumane manner.

Several other European countries have also summoned Iranian diplomats in protest over the crackdown.

During the call, Araghchi defended the actions of Iran’s security forces, saying that protests which initially began peacefully had turned violent due to the involvement of “trained terrorist elements.” He also alleged foreign interference in Iran.