Iran shuts language centre affiliated with French embassy in Tehran

Tehran: Iranian authorities on Sunday announced the closure of a French language centre associated with the embassy, accusing it of having undertaken "illegal activities".

"Based on the Tehran prosecutor's office, the illegal centre affiliated with the French embassy in Tehran, which has operated for years under the guise of language instruction, was closed," the judiciary's Mizan news website said, referring to the French Language Centre (CLF).

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The judiciary accused the centre of conducting "illegal acts that violated diplomatic conventions".

It alleged the centre "abused its status as a language training facility" and sought to "identify and build networks among the country's elite figures while facilitating their departure".

There was no immediate comment from the French embassy.

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Relations between Tehran and Paris have been strained in recent months.

Last month, France announced the expulsion of two Iranian diplomats in response to the brief arrest and banning of two French envoys to the Islamic republic.

Tehran had accused the two French diplomats of "interference in Iran's internal affairs".