Iran has allowed two French former detainees to leave the country, Macron says

PARIS (AP) — Iran has allowed two French former detainees, Cécile Kohler and Jacques Paris, to leave the country, French President Emmanuel Macron said Tuesday. They had been holed up in French diplomatic premises there since their release from prison.

“Cécile Kohler and Jacques Paris are free and on route toward French territory, after three and a half years of detention in Iran,” Macron posted on X.

The green light for them to leave Iran, long sought by France, signaled how Iran is differentiating between nations, treating some favorably and others as foes, in the context of the Iran war. Macron has distanced France from the conflict, saying his country wasn’t consulted in advance about the U.S-Israel strikes and didn’t want the war.

Macron thanked Oman for playing a mediation role in the release of Kohler and Paris. “It’s a relief for us all and obviously for their families,” Macron wrote.

Iranian authorities freed them from prison in November but didn’t let them leave the country. They’d been held for more than three years in detention on spying charges, which Paris said were unfounded.

French officials said they were then being kept safe at the French Embassy in Tehran.

Kohler and Paris were arrested in May 2022 while visiting Iran. France denounced their detention as “unjustified and unfounded.”

Western nations have accused Iran of using foreign prisoners as bargaining chips, an allegation Tehran rejects.