TEHRAN – The Iranian Foreign Ministry issued a statement on Thursday saying the French government bears “undeniable responsibility” for an “anti-cultural and anti-human move” by the notorious Charlie Hebdo magazine in publishing offensive caricatures of Iran’s top politico and religious authority.

In response to this derogatory move, Iran announced it is revising its cultural relations with Paris by “ending the activities of the French Institute for Research in Iran as a first step.”

The move came a day after Iran had warned Paris of consequences and summoned the French ambassador.

The ministry said the Paris government is first and foremost responsible 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.

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 political religious authority, and insult the Iranians’ state symbols and national values,” Press TV reported.

The statement added that in the past years, the French magazine has repeatedly provoked Muslims’ anger by publishing insulting cartoons of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).