Iran has released French prisoners Cecile Kohler and Jacques Paris who had been detained since 2022, President Emmanuel Macron announced on Tuesday, nearly two weeks after Paris freed an Iranian citizen charged with promoting terrorism.
The two French prisoners "are out of the Evin jail and en route to the French embassy in Teheran," Macron said on X. "I welcome this first step, the dialogue continues."
Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said later on X that the two French nationals were now "safe" at the French Embassy "ahead of their final release".
Iran's foreign ministry spokesman said the two French nationals "have been released on bail and will remain under supervision until the next stage of judicial proceedings."
Kohler and Paris were arrested in May 2022 during a tourist trip to Iran. Both were charged with spying for Israel, charges they denied.
The pair were also charged with "conspiracy to overthrow the Islamic Republic and corruption on earth."
In May, France filed a case against Iran at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), accusing Tehran of unlawfully detaining the two French citizens for three years and violating international law.
In September, Paris withdrew its case against Iran after a meeting between Macron and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian in New York, which was seen as a possible gesture toward reviving prisoner-exchange talks.
Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi suggested at the time that Iran might free the French pair in exchange for Iranian national Mahdieh Esfandiari, who was due to face trial in January for promoting acts of terrorism.
Esfandiari, an Iranian student living in the French city of Lyon, was arrested in February allegedly over her social media posts against Israel.
On October 23, Iran's foreign ministry confirmed Esfandiari had been conditionally released after 235 days of detention.
