French President Emmanuel Macron said two French citizens — Cécile Kohler (41) and Jacques Paris (72) — have been released from an Iranian prison after more than three years detained on spying charges Paris and Parisian authorities call unfounded. The couple are reported safe at the French Residence in Tehran while officials continue talks for their definitive release and return to France. Iranian state-linked media said a Revolutionary Court issued a preliminary verdict accusing them of working for French intelligence and cooperating with Israel, with cumulative terms reported as 63 years. Western governments accuse Iran of using foreign detainees as diplomatic leverage; Iran denies this.
Two French Citizens Freed in Iran After More Than Three Years; Awaiting Return to France
French President Emmanuel Macron said two French citizens — Cécile Kohler (41) and Jacques Paris (72) — have been released from an Iranian prison after more than three years detained on spying charges Paris and Parisian authorities call unfounded. The couple are reported safe at the French Residence in Tehran while officials continue talks for their definitive release and return to France. Iranian state-linked media said a Revolutionary Court issued a preliminary verdict accusing them of working for French intelligence and cooperating with Israel, with cumulative terms reported as 63 years. Western governments accuse Iran of using foreign detainees as diplomatic leverage; Iran denies this.
05:07, 05.11.2025Politics
Two French nationals released from Iranian custody after 3+ years
French President Emmanuel Macron announced on Tuesday that two French citizens, Cécile Kohler, 41, and her partner Jacques Paris, 72, have been released from an Iranian prison after more than three years in detention on spying charges that Paris and French authorities have called unfounded.
Macron said he felt "huge relief" at their release and described it as "a first step," adding on X that talks with Iranian authorities are continuing to secure their return to France "as soon as possible."
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot wrote on X that Kohler and Paris were "safe" at the French Residence in Tehran while they await their "definitive release." Jacques Paris has repeatedly described their detention, which began during a visit in May 2022, as "unjustified and unfounded." Relatives had recently expressed despair after receiving a rare, brief phone call from the couple.
Court rulings and charges
Iranian state-linked media reported last month that a Revolutionary Court in Tehran issued a preliminary verdict accusing the two of "working for French intelligence" and "cooperating with Israel." The judiciary news agency Mizan named the charges in its reporting; the semiofficial Fars agency later identified the pair and said the court imposed cumulative terms totaling 63 years across multiple counts.
Western governments have long accused Tehran of using foreign detainees as bargaining chips in diplomatic disputes — an allegation Tehran denies.
Context and next steps
The French government is continuing diplomatic engagement to secure Kohler and Paris's formal release and return home. Officials emphasize that while the pair are currently under French protection in Tehran, arrangements remain ongoing to bring them back to France.
This development comes amid broader tensions between Iran and Western countries over judicial transparency and the treatment of foreign nationals. Paris has framed the case as politically motivated, while Iranian authorities maintain the charges and have defended their judicial process.