Overview
- Lennart Monterlos, an 18-year-old French-German cyclist, went missing in eastern Iran on June 16 during a cross-continental trip.
- French authorities say they have no leads on his fate but remain in close contact with his family and describe the case as “worrying.”
- France’s warning advising nationals against travel to Iran underscores concerns over Tehran’s practice of detaining Western visitors on espionage charges.
- The disappearance follows a pattern of arrests by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, which rights groups say are used as bargaining chips in diplomatic disputes.
- Tehran has recently upgraded charges against French detainees Cécile Kohler and Jacques Paris to include espionage and plotting, exposing them to death penalties.