France expelled on Wednesday Bashir Biazar, an Iranian national suspected of being an "influence agent" for the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Bashir Biazar © X
France expelled on Wednesday Bashir Biazar, an Iranian national suspected of being an "influence agent" for the Islamic Republic of Iran.
This move is the latest development in the ongoing tensions between Paris and Tehran, which continues to detain three French nationals.
Bashir Biazar, who had been subject to an expulsion order from the French Interior Minister since early June, was held in a detention center in Metz (eastern France) before being flown to Tehran on Wednesday morning.
During an administrative court hearing in Paris on Wednesday, a representative from the Interior Ministry portrayed Biazar as an "influence agent, an agitator promoting the views of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and, more worryingly, harassing regime opponents."
The representative cited intelligence sources, claiming Biazar had filmed opposition Iranian journalists in September outside the Tehran consulate in Paris after an arson attack, compromising the safety of a relative of one of these journalists in Iran.
The French authorities accused Biazar of operating "in connection" with the Quds Force, a unit of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, a link he allegedly kept secret. "When one is a member of the Quds Force, it doesn’t go on one’s business card," quipped the Interior Ministry representative.
Biazar also faced criticism for social media posts about the Gaza conflict, where he reportedly referred to "Zionist dogs" and "child killers."
Abbas Araqchi, Iran's seasoned top diplomat, faces one of his most delicate challenges ever this weekend as he prepares to lead talks with the U.S. to secure a new nuclear deal and avert a military strike against the Islamic Republic.
Iran is giving talks with its arch foe the United States this weekend "a genuine chance", the Iranian foreign ministry's spokesperson posted on X on Friday.
The United States and Iran are due to hold talks on Saturday on Tehran's nuclear program as Britain, France and Germany consider whether to trigger a restoration of sanctions on Iran at the United Nations before a 2015 nuclear deal expires in October.
To make this website run properly and to improve your experience, we use cookies. For more detailed information, please check our Cookie Policy.
Necessary cookies enable core functionality. The website cannot function properly without these cookies, and can only be disabled by changing your browser preferences.