Iran’s Foreign Ministry says Tehran holds the French government responsible for an “anti-cultural and anti-human move” by a notorious French weekly to publish insulting caricatures of the country’s top politico-religious authority, announcing a decision to revise cultural relations with Paris in response.

In a statement on Thursday, the ministry said it would review France’s cultural activities in Iran, and that it was “ending the activities of the French Institute for Research in Iran as a first step.”

It added that the French government bears “undeniable responsibility” to deal with violations of the sanctity of freedom, breach of human rights, insults against religious values and beliefs and threats to the national sovereignty of other countries by legal and natural persons subject to the rule of the European country’s government.

The ministry condemned “in the strongest terms” the infamous French magazine’s move “to trample on recognized moral norms, savagely violate religious sanctities, disrespect the sanctum of the politico-religious authority, and insult the Iranians’ state symbols and national values.”

The French publication’s move was another sign of the Zionism’s role in a media campaign to promote Islamophobia, incite hatred and sow discord among peoples and countries, it said.

It added that the French publication has for many years misused the noble concept of “freedom of speech” as a cover for its anti-cultural acts and desecration of humans as well as sublime moral and religious values.

The statement noted that in the past years, the French magazine has repeatedly provoked Muslim anger by publishing insulting cartoons of Prophet Mohammad.

Iran slams the inaction of the relevant authorities in France in dealing with the French publications’ measures against Islam and the spread of racist hatred and reiterates the direct responsibility of the government in Paris to hold accountable the perpetrators of such moves, it said.

The ministry added that Iran also called for a serious fight against Islamophobia as a “manifestation of institutionalized racism in this country.”

It vowed to seriously pursue the Iranian nation’s demand for the French government to hold accountable the perpetrators and prevent their repetition, saying Tehran would take appropriate measures in this regard.

The statement comes as the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo is set to publish several insulting cartoons of the Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei in a special issue later this week. The controversial right-wing magazine had in early December announced a competition for producing the cartoons.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry on Wednesday summoned the French Ambassador in Tehran Nicolas Roche to protest the insulting act by the French magazine in publishing caricatures of the country’s top religious authority.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian also on Wednesday strongly condemned the “insulting” act by the controversial French magazine, warning of a “decisive” response.

Iran FM censures Charlie Hebdo over ‘insulting’ act, warns of ‘decisive’ response Iran FM censures Charlie Hebdo over ‘insulting’ act, warns of ‘decisive’ response Iran “The insulting and indecent move by a French publication in publishing cartoons against the religious and political authority will not go without an effective and decisive response,” the minister wrote in a Twitter post.