On August 17, Iran announced that two French embassy employees involved in a July diplomatic dispute would not be permitted to return, with Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei stating at a press conference that their support for Iranian civil society violated the Vienna Convention. France had summoned Iran's charge d'affaires on July 21 after reports of detention and intimidation of embassy staff in Tehran. The episode occurs against the backdrop of an ongoing regional conflict involving the U.S. and Israel that began in late February.