Iran Says France's Move to Expel Two Iranian Diplomats 'Illegal'

Iran's foreign ministry said on Monday that France's decision to expel two Iranian diplomats in response to Tehran's ban on two French diplomats was "illegal". "The action that France took is an illegal action in response to Iran's legal action, and is in no way helpful to bilateral relations," ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said at a weekly press conference. Last week, Baqaei said two French diplomats who were briefly arrested in Iran in July over "interference" in Iran's internal affairs "would not be permitted to return".