Iran summons French envoy over FM's "offensive" Cannes comments

The Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has summoned the French Chargé d’Affaires in Tehran in response to “offensive” comments and “unfounded” allegations made by the French Foreign Minister after an Iranian film's victory at the Cannes film festival.

In a meeting with the French diplomat, Mohammad Tanhaei, Director for Division Second of Western Europe at the Iranian Foreign Ministry, strongly condemned the remarks as a “blatant interference in Iran’s internal affairs”, Caliber.Az reports per the ministry’s statement. 

Tanhaei described the French Foreign Minister’s statements as “irresponsible and provocative” and demanded an official explanation from the French Foreign Ministry regarding the allegations.

The Iranian official also criticised the French government for using a cinematic event as a platform to advance political objectives aimed at undermining the Islamic Republic. Tanhaei further accused France of lacking the moral authority to make human rights claims, citing the country’s longstanding support for Israel.

"France, as one of the principal supporters of the Zionist regime and its continued egregious violations of human rights and humanitarian law—particularly with respect to the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination—lacks any moral authority to raise human rights claims or level accusations against others,” the statement reads. 

In a post on X after filmmaker Jafar Panahi won the Palme d'Or on May 24, Jean-Noel Barrot called his victory "a gesture of resistance against the Iranian regime's oppression".

Filmmaker Jafar Panahi made a return to Cannes after 22 years of absense to accept the Palme d'Or for his film It Was Just an Accident. The punchy thriller inspired by Panahi's experience in jail, follows a group of former prisoners who encounter the man who terrorised them in jail, and weigh whether or not to kill him.

It was only the second time an Iranian director has won the Palme d'Or, after the late Abbas Kiarostami received the honour for "Taste of Cherry" in 1997.

By Sabina Mammadli