Tehran decries delayed police reaction to Paris embassy 'attack'

Iran's Foreign Ministry said on Saturday that protesters attempted to attack and damage the Iranian Embassy in Paris on Friday, according to the official IRNA news agency.

IRNA said Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Ghasemi claimed that police in the French capital did not respond promptly to the perceived threats on Friday.

"The French government should take all necessary measures to protect Iranian diplomatic missions in that country," said Ghasemi as quoted by IRNA.

"Unfortunately, the French police did not arrive as expected on the scene on time, although the assailants were members of a terrorist organisation," he added.

Earlier on Saturday, a Paris police spokeswoman said "individuals" had thrown objects and smashed windows at the embassy. She shared information but would not give her name, a common police practice in France.

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According to Reuters, the protesters were Kurdish activists.

The spokeswoman said officers were called after the trouble started outside the building. She says the officers searched 12 people but didn't take anyone into custody because the embassy didn't want to file a complaint.

Unverified reports on social media said the protesters belonged to Komele, an Iranian dissident group. They allegedly chanted the slogans: "death to the Islamic Republic" and "death to Khamenei".

The activists also burned the Iranian flag in front of the embassy and threw stones, fire extinguishers and computers at the buiding, according to Iran's Fars news agency.

Pictures from the protests show the embassy's sign was sprayed with red paint.

Ghasemi says Iran asked the French government to prosecute and punish the people involved.

Last week, Iranian forces fired seven missiles at the headquarters of the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (PDKI) in northern Iraq, killing 11 people.

PDKI is an armed opposition group who demand greater autonomy for the Kurdish community in Iran.

Agencies contributed to this report.