Iran warns citizens against trips to France amid ongoing violence

Tehran, July 3 Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani has advised Iranian citizens against taking unnecessary trips to France amid the ongoing violence in the European state.

Kanaani made the remarks on Sunday in a statement published on the Ministry's website, commenting on the ongoing protests in France sparked by a policeman's fatal shooting of a teenager.

The spokesman also cautioned Iranians living in France against making unnecessary trips to or visiting conflict-ridden areas, noting that Tehran is closely monitoring the developments in France, Xinhua news agency reported.

On Tuesday last week, a French police officer opened fire and killed 17-year-old Nahel M, a French citizen of Algerian and Moroccan descent, while the latter refused to comply with the order to pull over his car.

The police officer who fired his gun later told investigators that he had acted for fear of the car causing a fatal accident.

The shooting has triggered violent protests throughout France, which have so far led to the arrest of hundreds of people by the French police in major cities.