Overview

• Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said on television that a deal to exchange French prisoners held in Iran is approaching its final stage and he declined to provide details.
• The proposal involves swapping the French detainees for Mahdieh Esfandiari, an Iranian arrested in France in February on charges of promoting terrorism on social media.
• The French nationals at the center of the case, Cécile Kohler, 40, and Jacques Paris, 72, were arrested on May 7, 2022 and later accused of espionage by Iranian authorities.
• France filed a complaint with the International Court of Justice in May over their detention, with officials characterizing them as state hostages.
• Their families have described their situation as increasingly desperate, and other Europeans remain jailed in Iran, though some detainees such as Louis Arnaud were released in June 2025.