ERBIL () - Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Saturday, sharply criticized French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot over his remarks concerning the situation inside Iran, invoking France's history of colonial rule in Algeria.
In a message addressed to Barrot, Araghchi said that 1.5 million Algerians were killed by France during the Algerian War of Independence. He also said that Paris had officially recorded less than one-tenth of that figure but remained unwilling to apologize for what he described as its crimes during the colonial period.
In a post on his personal account on X, Araghchi directly addressed Barrot, writing: “Enough with the crocodile tears, Mr. Barrot. Your silence when America carried out a massacre against our schoolchildren speaks louder than all your words.”
Araghchi's reaction came in response to earlier remarks by the French foreign minister regarding the situation in Iran. Barrot had said that Iranians should have the right to freely determine their own future and that their fundamental rights should be respected.
Araghchi's comments come amid diplomatic tensions that have emerged between Tehran and Paris in recent weeks. The situation is also linked to France's continuing positions regarding developments inside Iran.
