France Demands Immediate Release of Couple Detained Over Three Years in Iran

France has condemned Iran for the arbitrary detention of two French citizens, Cecile Kohler and Jacques Paris, who have been held for over three years on espionage charges that France calls unfounded and unjustified. The couple was arrested in May 2022 and initially held in Tehran's notorious Evin Prison, with recent reports accusing them of spying for Israel's Mossad, a charge firmly denied by French officials. France has demanded their immediate and unconditional release, emphasizing that the couple has been kept in conditions akin to torture and denied proper consular access. In response, France has taken the case to the International Court of Justice, alleging that Iran has violated consular protection rights. The French government views these detentions as part of a pattern by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards to use foreign detainees as diplomatic leverage, accusations Tehran denies. French foreign minister Jean-Noel Barrot has stated that securing their release is a top priority amid heightened tensions over Iran's nuclear program and regional military activities.