French President Emmanuel Macron announced the release of two French nationals who had been held in Iran for nearly three and a half years, marking the end of a long-running diplomatic case between Paris and Tehran.
In an official statement, Macron confirmed that Jacques Paris and Barry Koller had been freed following sustained diplomatic efforts by French authorities, which had been working on the case since their detention. He did not disclose details over the circumstances of their release or any conditions attached to it.
French officials have yet to clarify the reasons behind the initial detention, while Iranian authorities have not issued an immediate public comment on the release. France’s foreign ministry is expected to provide further details in an upcoming statement, including information on the two citizens’ condition after returning home and the diplomatic steps that led to their release.
The two were among several foreign nationals and dual citizens detained in Iran in recent years, often on charges related to espionage. France has consistently rejected such accusations as unfounded, accusing Tehran of arbitrarily detaining its citizens under harsh conditions—claims that Iran has denied.
Their release follows years of negotiations between the two countries over detained French nationals, whose number had reached seven in 2022. The case also gained renewed attention earlier this year after French authorities arrested an Iranian student in Lyon over social media posts, before she was later released under conditions in October.
The development is seen as a potential easing of tensions in a sensitive aspect of France-Iran relations, though broader political and diplomatic differences between the two countries remain unresolved.
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