The Iranian government intervened on the side of the Government of France in the Zahra Centre affair [1]. Teheran thinks that the accusation that this organization prepared an attack against the meeting of the Mujahideens of the People held on 30 June 2018, stems from a third state plot.
Bahram Ghasemi, spokesman for the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, denied that his country was in any way responsible in this matter and called France to come to the table so that the two countries could thrash out the issues.
Paris immediately released Yahia Gouasmi, representative of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and the leader of the Shiites in France. Paris had detained him for several hours.
The French Minister of Home Affairs no longer speaks of arrests but rather 12 “home visits” (searches). As of 3 October, only one person is still in custody.
The Minister for Home Affairs, Gerard Collomb had announced that he wanted to quit his position at the end of 2019 so that he could stand as a candidate in the Lyon municipal elections in 2020. But then he suddenly handed in his resignation to President Emmanuel Macron: the first time was just before the police operation at the Zhara Centre which resulted in the detention of Yahia Gousami and the second time was during the Iranian intervention. The second time round his resignation was accepted.
Responding to questions from journalists, Mr Gousami accused Israel of organizing this false terrorist trail to blacken Iran’s name.