Iran has officially confirmed the arrest of 18-year-old Franco-German cyclist Lennart Monterlos, after he was reported to be missing since mid-June.
"He was arrested for committing a crime, and an official notification regarding his situation was sent to the French embassy," Abbas Araghchi told French daily newspaper Le Monde, without providing further details.
France's foreign ministry said it was in contact with Iranian authorities and the family of Lennart Monterlos. The French ministry said it would give no further comment, as his safety was at stake.
Monterlos was undertaking a solo Europe-to-Asia biking expedition and had last made contact on 16th June. Prior to his disappearance, he had been documenting his journey on Instagram and had expressed optimism about his experiences in Iran, despite concerns from family and friends about the risks of travelling through the country.
Reuters reported that the arrest is likely to worsen already strained ties between Paris and Tehran.
Iran has already been holding two other French citizens, Jacques Paris and Cecile Kohler, for more than three years in conditions France has said are akin to torture.
France has called their detention state-sponsored hostage taking and demanded they be released immediately.
Earlier on Thursday, France's foreign ministry spokesperson Christophe Lemoine said Paris was trying to get permission to visit them.
The pair were moved from Tehran's Evin prison following airstrikes by Israel that targeted the prison in June. French consular officials visited them at a new location on July 1, but no longer knew where they were being held now, he said.
Kohler's sister on Sunday said that the two had been moved from Evin prison in Tehran after Israel bombed the site but that she had not been told where the two were now being held.
Lemoine reiterated that French nationals should not travel to Iran given the risk of arbitrary arrests.
Iran's Revolutionary Guards have detained dozens of foreign and dual nationals in recent years, often on espionage-related charges. Rights groups and Western countries accuse Tehran of using foreign detainees as bargaining chips, which it denies.
France in May filed a case at the World Court against Iran for violating the right to consular protection, in a bid to pressure Tehran over the detention of its two citizens.
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Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters has warned that Tehran would target remaining infrastructure in the region if the Islamic Republic’s infrastructure were attacked by the U.S. military, according to the Defa Press military news website.
The U.S. military announced that it has completed a new wave of strikes against Iranian military targets under U.S. President Donald Trump's orders. The operation targeted command centres, air defence systems, missile and drone facilities, and coastal surveillance sites across multiple locations.
On 16 July, AnewZ's Daybreak focused on escalating tensions between the U.S. and Iran, growing concerns over global energy supplies, and France's landmark assisted-dying legislation.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top news stories for the 16th of July, covering the latest developments you need to know.
U.S. President Donald Trump announced the reimposition of a U.S. naval blockade on all Iranian ports and warned that power plants and bridges could be targeted next week unless Tehran returns to negotiations.
The United States carried out a third consecutive night of airstrikes against Iran, targeting military capabilities around the Strait of Hormuz as Donald Trump announced the reinstatement of a blockade on Iranian shipping and proposed a 20% fee on cargo passing through the strategic waterway.
The U.S. military announced that it has completed a new wave of strikes against Iranian military targets under U.S. President Donald Trump's orders. The operation targeted command centres, air defence systems, missile and drone facilities, and coastal surveillance sites across multiple locations.
The death toll from the fire at a live music pub in Bangkok has climbed to 32 after two more victims died from their injuries, according to Thailand's Police Hospital.
Ukraine and Russia exchanged fresh attacks on Tuesday, with Kyiv targeting shipping and energy infrastructure inside Russia while Moscow launched another large-scale missile and drone assault on Ukrainian cities.
The Trump administration is pressing ahead with new immigration rules that will impose fixed time limits on visas for foreign students, cultural exchange visitors and journalists, tightening requirements for thousands of people who study and work in the U.S.
Keir Starmer has reaffirmed that the UK's "unwavering" support for Ukraine will continue, during his final visit to the country as Prime Minister.
Two British hackers who carried out a cyberattack on Transport for London (TfL) that cost the transport authority £29 million to remediate have been jailed for a total of 11 years.
At least 11 people have been killed and 19 injured in a fire at an orphanage on the outskirts of the Algerian capital, state media reported. The blaze broke out early on Thursday at the institution in the eastern suburbs of Algiers.
A woman whose husband was sucked out of the window of a plane during a Ryanair flight has recounted pulling her husband to safety. Serbian couple Svetlana Maksimovic and Ljubisa Karovic had just settled into a flight with the airline last week, when a loud bang pierced the hum of engines.
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