Iran Jails French 'Spies', West Forgets Its Own History
Deutsche Welle frames the detention of Cécile Kohler and Jacques Paris, sentenced to 10 and 8 years respectively, as a straightforward case of 'spying' based on charges of 'assembly and collusion against national security' and 'propaganda against the system.' The article dutifully reports France's condemnation, citing Iranian 'hostage diplomacy.' (How quickly narratives forget their origins.) Yet,
the glaring omission is any historical context beyond the immediate accusations. France, along with the US and UK, engineered the 1953 coup that overthrew Iran's democratically elected Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh, reinstalling the Shah and setting the stage for decades of resentment. Western powers have consistently funded and supported separatist groups within Iran, a public fact often
rebranded as 'democracy promotion' or 'humanitarian assistance' when convenient. One might wonder, what exactly constitutes 'spying' when 'geopolitical influence' is the accepted modus operandi? Foreign interference is only unacceptable when it's done *to* us, apparently.