Iran releases two French spies after 1,277 days in prison

French President Emmanuel Macron announced yesterday that Iran has released the French couple, Cécile Kohler, 40, and Jacques Paris,72, who were arrested in May 2022 and convicted of espionage for Israel and France. 

Macron said, “I welcome this first step, and dialogue continues,” without providing further details on the exact nature of the discussions.

The reason for the couple’s release was not clarified by Macron, who described their detention as “1,277 days of arbitrary imprisonment.” However, it is highly likely that their release is part of another prisoner exchange deal between Iran and France.

Recent reports have suggested that a prisoner swap deal is being negotiated, where France would hand over Iranian academic Mahdieh Esfandiari, an Iranian woman arrested in Lyon on 28 February this year. She was imprisoned on charges of terrorism-related offences and incitement to terrorism.

Last month, Iran also released a French -German cyclist, Lennart Monterlos, who was detained while riding his bike through Iran as part of a world tour. Monterlos had been missing since June after the outbreak of the war between Israel and Iran, and it was reported three weeks later that he was in custody. Iran recently dropped espionage charges against him, and his release raised speculation about a potential prisoner exchange between Paris and Tehran. 

READ: Egypt, Iran, IAEA discuss ways to advance peaceful solutions to Tehran’s nuclear program