France condemns the 'most brutal repression in the Iran's recent history'
The French FM described protesters being “shot at point-blank range with automatic weapons” and hospitals overwhelmed by bodies, some reportedly “stacked in bags.”
France has sharply escalated its rhetoric toward Iran following what officials describe as an exceptionally violent crackdown on nationwide protests, with estimates suggesting between 12,000 and 20,000 people have been killed.
Speaking Wednesday on French radio station RTL, Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said the scale of the repression appeared unprecedented in Iran’s recent history and called for an immediate end to the violence.
He described protesters being “shot at point-blank range with automatic weapons” and hospitals overwhelmed by bodies, some reportedly “stacked in bags.”
Barrot said Paris’s immediate priority is the safety of French nationals in Iran, estimated at around 900 people, as well as embassy personnel. He urged French citizens to limit their movements amid what he warned was a growing risk of arbitrary detention.
The minister also addressed the cases of Cécile Kohler and Jacques Paris, who were released from detention in November 2025 but remain under an Iranian travel ban. According to Barrot, both are currently safe at the French embassy, and Paris is pressing for their full return to France. He noted, however, that the process remains subject to Iranian legal procedures.
Responding to accusations that France has been overly cautious toward Tehran, Barrot rejected claims of leniency. He pointed out that France reinstated comprehensive embargoes on weapons and certain nuclear-related equipment last September, reversing measures that had been lifted a decade earlier.
France has also summoned Iran’s ambassador as part of its diplomatic response, signaling growing international pressure on Tehran over the crackdown.