French envoy summoned to Iranian Foreign Ministry over insulting cartoons

Nasser Kanaani, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman and Director of the Ministry’s Public Diplomacy Center, filed a strong protest with the French government, saying the Islamic Republic will not accept any insult to Islamic as well as its national and religious values.

Kanaani added that France has no right to justify insult to the sanctities of other nations and Islamic countries under the pretext of freedom of speech.

French weekly magazine Charlie Hebdo has recently published insulting cartoons of Islamic Marjaeya.

Kanaani referred to the French magazine’s dark record of desecrating the Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him), the Holy Quran and Islam, saying the Islamic Republic of Iran holds the French government responsible for such disgusting, sacrilegious and unjustified moves.

Kanaani underlined that Tehran reserves the right to give an appropriate response to the insulting cartoons and handed the French ambassador an official note of protest.

He further stressed that the Islamic Republic of Iran is awaiting an explanation and a redressing action on the part of the French government in order to deplore the unacceptable behavior of the French magazine.

The French ambassador said in response that he would swiftly convey the views of Iran and the text of the note of protest to Paris.