1985–86 Paris attacks

[5][6] During the trials it was claimed that the attacks were ordered by Iran to stop France from selling arms to Iraq for use in the Iran–Iraq War, rather than the prisoners' releases.

[7] In 1984, Hezbollah-linked Islamic Jihad Organization terrorists were arrested while plotting bombings against a plane from Zürich Airport, and against the United States embassy in Rome.

[10][11] On 20 March 1986, a bomb killing two people took place within an hour of Jacques Chirac being named French Prime Minister under François Mitterrand, while simultaneously being Mayor of Paris.

[15][16] The CSPPA (Comité de solidarité avec les prisonniers politiques arabes et du Proche-Orient) remained a mystery group at the time.

[2] ASALA's involvement was strongly noted by the authorities due to the CSPPA's demand of releasing Varoujan Garbidjian, who was in prison over the 1983 Orly Airport attack.

In October 1986, a handwritten statement signed by ASALA spokesman Vahran Vahrania and delivered to a western news agency in Beirut threatened more violence against France unless Garbidjian and the other Middle Eastern prisoners were released.

[21] Later, in a police raid on 21 March 1987, Saleh and seven other suspects, two Lebanese French citizens and five Tunisians were arrested, among them a nephew of Hezbollah leader Sheik Ibrahim al-Amin.

[5] A Tunisian former Sunni Muslim who converted to Shia Islam before moving to Iran and studying for two years in the religious seminaries of Qom in the early 1980s, Saleh had begun preaching and proselytising to people both in public places and private, which reportedly led him to be recruited by Hezbollah agents.

[8] After the arrest of the Saleh group in 1987, Tunisia broke off diplomatic relations with Iran, accusing the country of recruiting Tunisians to carry out terrorist attacks.

[5] France eventually allowed Wahid Gordji [fr], who was wanted for questioning in connection with the Paris attacks, to leave the Iranian embassy in Paris for Iran in order to secure the release of two French hostages who had subsequently been kidnapped by Hezbollah in Beirut, a move that was condemned by the United Kingdom and the United States for setting a "dangerous precedent" in dealing with hostage situations.