Overview
- President Emmanuel Macron said the two, the last French citizens officially held in Iran, left Evin prison and are now safe at the French ambassador’s residence in Tehran.
- Iran’s Foreign Ministry stated they were released under caution and will be monitored until the next stage of the judicial process.
- France’s foreign minister reported they are in good health, dispatched a team to accompany them, and said efforts continue for their definitive return to France.
- The pair were arrested in May 2022 and were sentenced in mid-October to 20 and 17 years on espionage charges they deny, which French officials and families have long called politically motivated.
- Iran previously floated a possible exchange involving Mahdieh Esfandiari, who is free under judicial control in France with a January trial scheduled, though no formal swap has been confirmed.