A man has threatened to blow himself up near Iran's Paris consulate, causing France to urgently cordon off the embassy.

Police have asked the public to avoid the area - just across the Seine from the Eiffel Tower.

The man was holed up "within the consulate in the presence of the ambassador," before he was later arrested.

Witnesses said it was around 11.00am when they saw the man at the Iranian consulate remove his coat to reveal a belt of explosives.

When the man exited the embassy, special forces searched him and found no actual explosives on him, police sources said.

have been stationed around the embassy.

Le Parisien newspaper reported that the man dragged flags through the consulate and said he wanted to avenge the death of his brother.

Services have been interrupted on nearby metro lines 6 and 9 for "security reasons", transport provider RATP said.

Heavily armed officers were stationed around the embassy

A source at the Paris police headquarters said: “This day around 11am, a man was seen by a single witness entering the Iranian consulate at rue de Fresnel in Paris 16 carrying a grenade or an explosive vest."

They added that "the police prefect has mobilised the BRI", stating that the consulate had made a "request for intervention" to the police headquarters.