The French Foreign Ministry said that there is no evidence indicating that the Lebanese Hezbollah is storing chemicals for making explosives in France, in response to statements by a senior American official in which he said that the party has established caches in Europe since 2012.
The US State Department's counterterrorism coordinator, Nathan Sales, said that the Iranian-backed party had escaped and stored chemicals - including ammonium nitrate - from Belgium to France, Greece, Italy, Spain and Switzerland.
Sales added in a statement that the party is storing these weapons in places "so that it can carry out major terrorist attacks when it deems it necessary for its masters in Tehran." He did not provide other details or evidence of the existence of these activities.
In turn, French Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Agnes von der Molle told reporters in response to Sells' allegations, "As far as we know, there is nothing concrete confirming such a claim in France today."
She added that the French authorities will impose harsh penalties on any illegal activities carried out by any foreign group on its territory.
Unlike the United States, which has classified Hezbollah as a terrorist organization since 1997, France says its elected wing has a legitimate political role.
Germany and Britain - both Paris allies - also classify the group as a terrorist organization, but French officials say that ostracizing the group would make resolving the crisis impossible.
Ammonium nitrate is an industrial chemical commonly used in making fertilizers and as an explosive in quarries and mining. It is considered relatively safe if it is free of pollutants and stored properly.
The material is very dangerous if it is exposed to contamination, mixed with fuel, or is stored in an unsafe manner, as was the case in the Beirut Port explosion last August.