Iran's Foreign Minister criticizes French counterpart over Mahsa Amini remarks

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has launched a sharp verbal attack against French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot, accusing him of “crocodile tears” regarding the death of Mahsa Amini.

Araghchi’s response followed a post by Barrot marking the fourth anniversary of Amini’s death in 2022, which sparked widespread protests in Iran. Araghchi criticized French silence concerning a February 28 airstrike on the Shajareh Tayyiba school in Minab, southern Iran. According to Iranian reports, the strike killed 168 children and 14 teachers, though preliminary U.S. military investigations suggested the intended target was a nearby Revolutionary Guard facility.

In his critique, Araghchi also invoked France’s colonial history in Algeria, claiming that France killed 1.5 million Algerians during the war for independence and has failed to officially apologize for its colonial crimes. He argued that France’s official recognition of casualties accounts for less than a tenth of the actual number.