French couple held in Iran may soon be freed, says Tehran

Iran said on Monday it hopes for the imminent release of a French couple held in Tehran since 2022, in connection with the potential freeing of an Iranian woman detained in France.

Cécile Kohler, 40, and Jacques Paris, 72, were arrested on May 7, 2022, at the end of a tourist trip to Iran. Tehran accuses them of spying on behalf of Israel, one of its main adversaries. 

Iranian authorities have repeatedly called for the release of Mahdieh Esfandiari, an Iranian citizen arrested in France in February for allegedly promoting terrorism online — a charge Iran rejects as unfounded.

“The decision regarding the release of these two individuals and Ms. Esfandiari is being reviewed by the relevant authorities,” said Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaïl Baghaï during a weekly press briefing in Tehran attended by AFP. “We hope that, once the necessary procedures are completed, this will happen soon,” he added, without naming the French detainees.

On September 11, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi announced, to general surprise, that an “agreement” to exchange “French prisoners” in Iran for an Iranian woman held in France was reaching its “final stage.”

France maintains that Cécile Kohler and Jacques Paris are “state hostages” held arbitrarily by Tehran. In May, Paris filed a complaint against Iran before the International Court of Justice (ICJ), accusing it of violating international law.

However, the ICJ — established in 1948 to settle disputes between states — announced on September 25 that it had dropped the case at France’s request.

The diplomatic maneuvering underscores the fragile and complex nature of negotiations between Paris and Tehran, as both sides seek to resolve a standoff that has strained relations for more than two years.