Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has criticized France for what he describes as insincere expressions of sympathy regarding the 2022 death of Iranian-Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini. He accused the French government of shedding ‘crocodile tears’ while remaining silent about a recent US airstrike that targeted an elementary school in Minab, Iran. Araghchi’s remarks highlight ongoing tensions surrounding international responses to incidents in Iran and the broader implications of foreign involvement in regional conflicts.
The 22-year-old woman died in police custody on September 16, 2022, after being detained in Iran over allegations of not wearing the hijab in line with government rules. Araghchi’s reference to Algeria goes back to France’s 132-year colonial rule over the country and the Algerian War of Independence. The war lasted from 1954 to 1962. The war ended with the Evian agreement in March 1962 and Algeria’s independence later that year. Over 5.6 million Algerians were killed during the French occupation of Algeria between 1830 and 1962, when the country gained independence, the presidency said earlier. In May 1945, French forces were reported to have violently suppressed demonstrations in Setif, Guelma and Kherrata. Algerian government puts the death toll at over 45,000. History.com reports more than 100,000 Muslim deaths during that time. On February 28, US-Israeli strikes on Iran killed over 150 people at the Shajareh Tayyebeh Primary School in Minab. This included 123 children, according to a UN fact-finding mission.
In response, the Emmanuel Macron administration said it would summon Iran’s ambassador and take appropriate measures, Reuters reported.
Araghchi on Saturday accused France of hypocrisy, citing its colonial-era violence in Algeria and Paris’ “silence” over the killing of Iranian schoolkids in Minab during the US-Israeli war on Iran. “1.5mn Algerians were slaughtered by France in their War of Independence,” Araghchi said on X. “Stop your crocodile tears [Jean-Nool Barrot],” Araghchi said. “Your silence when the US massacred our schoolkids said it all. In 2017, French President Emmanuel Macron called colonialism in Algeria as a “crime against humanity”, but stopped short of a state apology.
A day prior, Araghchi targeted French foreign minister Jean-Nool Barrot after he marked the anniversary of Amini’s death. Her death led to massive protests in Iran. He added that fewer than one-tenth of them had been recorded by Paris and accused France of refusing to apologise for its colonial crimes. France deployed lakhs of troops to fight the National Liberation Front, or FLN, which sought independence. The war reportedly involved guerrilla warfare, bombings, torture, assassinations and violence against Algerian civilians. During the war, French forces were also accused of arbitrary detention, forced displacement, disappearances and extrajudicial killings. Historical records document the use of electric shocks, mock drowning, beatings and sexual violence during interrogations, particularly during the Battle of Algiers. France has acknowledged parts of its past but has not issued the formal apology demanded by Algeria for colonial-era crimes.
This came ahead of Tehran sealing a French language centre affiliated with the embassy in the capital on Sunday.
Iran and France’s Diplomatic Tensions Escalate
Tensions between Iran and France have heightened following the July detention of two French embassy staff in Tehran. France has stated that one of the staff members was assaulted, alleging a breach of diplomatic protections.
In response, Iran has denied these claims, asserting that the two individuals were questioned in connection with national-security investigations. The situation further escalated when France expelled two Iranian diplomats as a retaliatory measure.
They accused it of operating without a licence and conducting activities beyond language teaching, Reuters reported.
The UN report said there were reasonable grounds to believe that the Donald Trump administration committed war crimes in strikes on the school and a sports facility. It found that the school was a civilian site and said the US failed to adequately verify its target. France rejected the accusations and said the closure was an attack on its cultural presence in Iran.
Faulty intelligence, outdated imagery and heavy reliance on AI contributed to the US strike on the elementary school, a Pentagon investigation later found. Tehran alleged that the centre identified people, built networks and helped skilled Iranians leave the country. Iranian authorities on Sunday sealed the Centre for French Language in Tehran after a judicial order.
