French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot announced on Thursday the return to Paris of the two French diplomats, who were attacked in Tehran on Wednesday, emphasizing that their mission aimed to support Iranian civil society.

In an interview with a French radio station, the minister said the diplomats “arrived in Paris yesterday and are receiving all the necessary support after the serious and premeditated attack they suffered.”

He added that the two men, who are still in shock, do not want to return to Tehran, saying, “They will continue their work from Paris.”

According to the minister, the diplomats’ mission in Tehran specifically included “developing programs to support Iranian civil society, students, and artists, enabling them to benefit from opportunities to transfer to universities or artists’ residences.”

He continued, “France’s support for civil society is the target” of this attack. He accused Tehran of trying to dissuade France from continuing its support for the Iranian people by all means, but stressed that Paris would continue to provide this support.

Barrot reiterated that “regime security agents violently detained the diplomats” on Sunday and “held them for nearly four hours, preventing them from accessing their communication devices.” He added that they were subjected to “intimidation,” and one of them was “violently assaulted and beaten.”

Iranian authorities denied that the diplomats were assaulted, asserting that they underwent a “brief interrogation” by security services after participating in a “meeting with a number of individuals wanted by the authorities,” according to Iranian state media that quoted Iranian Foreign Ministry official Mohammad Tahaei. (AFP)