France says Iran breaching international treaty with prisoner detentions

FILE PHOTO: Supporters and relatives of French citizens detained in Iran, Cecile Kohler, Benjamin Briere, Jacques Paris and Fariba Adelkhah, gather in front of the Eiffel Tower, during a rally demanding their release, in Paris, France, January 28, 2023. REUTERS/Christian Hartmann

PARIS (Reuters) - France accused Iran on Tuesday of breaking an international treaty defining consular relations between states and said Tehran had demonstrated publicly that it was holding foreign nationals arbitrarily.

Relations between France and Iran have deteriorated in recent months with Tehran detaining seven French nationals in what Paris has said is state hostage taking.