Iran and France indicated on Monday that talks on the release of two French citizens held in Iran in exchange for an Iranian national detained by France were progressing.
Iran has been holding Cecile Kohler and her partner Jacques Paris since 2022. An 18-year-old French-German cyclist, Lennart Monterlos, is also being held in Iran after his arrest in June.
France has repeatedly accused Iran of holding Kohler and Paris arbitrarily, keeping them in conditions akin to torture in Tehran's Evin prison and not allowing proper consular protection. The Islamic Republic denies the accusations.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi suggested in mid-September the French nationals could be exchanged for Mahdieh Esfandiari, an Iranian student living in the French city of Lyon who was arrested this year over anti-Israel social media posts.
"The decision regarding the release of these two individuals and Mrs Esfandiari is currently being reviewed by the competent authorities," Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei told a news conference on Monday.
"We hope that once the necessary procedures are completed, this will happen soon."
Outgoing French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot told France Inter radio on Monday: "We have solid prospects of being able to bring them back in the coming weeks."
He added: "we remain fully mobilised and demand their immediate and unconditional release."
According to the semi-official Iranian news agency Tasnim, Iran acquitted French-German national Lennart Monterlos of espionage charges, the chief justice of the southern province of Hormozgan said on Monday.
France in September dropped its case before the International Court of Justice against Iran for violating the right to consular protection of its citizens, a move that signalled there had been progress in efforts to reach a deal.
The case at the ICJ or World Court was widely seen as a bid to pressure Iran over the detention of its citizens. Iran has accused the pair of spying for Israel's Mossad intelligence service.
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U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday (4 January) that the United States could carry out further military action in Venezuela following the capture of President Nicolás Maduro. Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, he said Washington now effectively controls the country.
Swiss police have confirmed that all 40 victims of the New Year’s Eve fire at a bar in the mountain resort of Crans-Montana have now been identified, with more than half of those killed being teenagers.
Myanmar’s military junta has granted amnesty to more than 6,000 prisoners nationwide as the country marked its 78th Independence Day, local media reported on Sunday.
Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has urged U.S. President Donald Trump to abandon threats to take over Greenland, following comments he made in an interview with The Atlantic.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has warned that the Russia-Ukraine war is now threatening trade in the Black Sea.
Teenagers as young as 14 and 15 years old were among those who died in the bar fire on New Year's Eve that killed 40 people in Switzerland, police said on Sunday.
North Korea fired a ballistic missile into the East Sea, according to South Korea and Japan, as regional diplomacy and security concerns remain in focus.
The United States launched an overnight military operation in Venezuela and captured its long-serving President Nicolás Maduro on Saturday, U.S. President Donald Trump said, pledging to place the country under temporary American control and signalling that U.S. forces could be deployed if necessary.
The UN Security Council will hold an emergency meeting Monday to discuss the U.S. operation in Venezuela.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday (4 January) that the United States could carry out further military action in Venezuela following the capture of President Nicolás Maduro. Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, he said Washington now effectively controls the country.
Swiss police have confirmed that all 40 victims of the New Year’s Eve fire at a bar in the mountain resort of Crans-Montana have now been identified, with more than half of those killed being teenagers.
Myanmar’s military junta has granted amnesty to more than 6,000 prisoners nationwide as the country marked its 78th Independence Day, local media reported on Sunday.
Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has urged U.S. President Donald Trump to abandon threats to take over Greenland, following comments he made in an interview with The Atlantic.
Residents in Catia La Mar, near Caracas, say homes were damaged or destroyed during a U.S. military operation that captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, with authorities reporting an unspecified number of deaths.
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