France’s foreign minister said he had summoned the Iranian ambassador on Tuesday over the “unbearable and inhumane” crackdown by Iranian authorities to quell protests across the country.
– “I have conveyed this condemnation to my Iranian counterpart. It will be reiterated to the Iranian ambassador in Paris, whom I summoned today,” Jean-Noel Barrot told lawmakers in parliament.
– “There can be no impunity for those who turned their weapons against peaceful protesters.”
– About 2,000 people including security personnel have been killed in protests in Iran, an Iranian official said on Tuesday.
– The unrest, sparked by dire economic conditions, has been the biggest internal challenge to Iranian authorities for at least three years and comes amid intensifying international pressure after Israeli and US strikes last year.
– Iran’s clerical authorities, have tried to take a dual approach to the demonstrations, calling protests over economic problems legitimate while enforcing a harsh security crackdown.
– They have accused the US and Israel of fomenting unrest and said unnamed people they call terrorists have hijacked the protests.