Iranians protest outside French embassy after Charlie Hebdo cartoons

Paris should observe the "fundamental principles of international relations -- namely mutual respect (and) non-interference in the internal affairs of others", he said. On Thursday, Iran said it was closing the Tehran-based French Institute for Research in Iran "as a first step" in response to the cartoons, after summoning Paris ambassador to protest the publication. Located in the centre of Tehran, IFRI had been closed for many years, but was reopened under the 2013-2021 presidency of the moderate president Hassan Rouhani as a sign of warming bilateral relations.