After a statement condemning Iran's use of the death penalty, tensions rose between senior diplomats. Paris accused Tehran of 'bloodshed' and Iran called France's stance 'blatant hypocrisy.'
Following the publication of an international statement condemning the use of the death penalty in Iran, a war of words escalated between senior French and Iranian diplomatic officials. Paris played a central role in the international condemnation, accusing Iran of “bloodshed”, while Tehran in turn described France’s position as “blatant hypocrisy”.
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French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot sharply criticised Iran’s actions in a post on X, writing: “Seven months after the widespread atrocities against the Iranian people who rose up to demand justice and dignity, this regime continues its bloodshed by carrying out an increasing number of executions.”
The French Foreign Ministry also confirmed Paris’s prominent role in the campaign condemning executions in Iran, saying that after the statement was initially signed by 26 countries and the EU’s foreign policy chief, additional countries joined, bringing the total number of signatories to 32.
In response, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi strongly rejected the criticism and accused the French government of applying double standards.
Araghchi wrote on X: "Countries like France should stop lecturing the world about “human rights” and international law. The hypocrisy is blatant and embarrassing."
Iran’s foreign minister added: "Your backing of Israel’s genocide in Gaza—and aggression against Iran—has destroyed whatever moral high ground you imagined you had."
Warnings from international bodies
The diplomatic tensions followed the publication of a joint statement on Wednesday.
More than 30 countries, including France, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Germany and Italy, along with EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, condemned Iran’s use of the death penalty against protesters “in the strongest possible terms”.
The statement said the Islamic Republic was executing protesters in an attempt to “silence dissent”. The signatories said: “The use of the death penalty to intimidate communities and punish people for exercising their human rights is unjustifiable under any circumstances, and the people of Iran must be free to exercise their rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly without fear.”
The involved countries called on Tehran to immediately end the executions and release those detained.
Economic protests to outbreak of war
The confrontation comes as warnings from the United Nations and human rights groups over a new wave of executions in Iran have intensified.
The latest wave of arrests and judicial sentences dates back to late December last year, when a protest movement initially centred on economic hardship, runaway inflation, the high cost of living and rising prices developed into widespread anti-government demonstrations.
While Iranian officials have reported that more than 3,000 people were killed and attributed the violence to “terrorist actions” organised by the United States and Israel, rights groups outside Iran have reported much higher casualty figures and said security forces opened fire on protesters.
Meanwhile, the joint US-Israeli attack on Iran on 28 February, which marked the beginning of a new Middle East war, further intensified the security crackdown. According to observers, the number of arrests and executions linked to the military conflict and protests has multiplied since then.
The United Nations and human rights groups have expressed concern over the escalation of judicial measures, citing the lack of fair trials and the extraction of forced confessions.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said earlier in August that Tehran was using executions to “spread fear and terror”. He reported that since March 19, at least 56 people had been executed on national security-related charges, while more than 100 others remained at risk of execution.
According to Amnesty International, Iran executed more than 2,150 people last year, placing it a distant second to China among the world’s leading users of the death penalty.