French nationals return home following Iran prison release

Cecile Kohler and Jacques Paris were freed in November after more than three years at Evin prison.French President Emmanuel Macron has announced that two French nationals who were detained in Iran for more than three years before being released last year, were returning to France following negotiations led by Oman.“Cecile Kohler and Jacques Paris are free and on their way back to France, after three and a half years of detention in Iran. This is a relief for all of us and, of course, for their families,” Macron said on X on Tuesday.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3How are NATO allies pushing back against Trump’s Iran war demands?list 2 of 3Why an attack on Bushehr nuclear plant would be catastrophic for the Gulflist 3 of 3Trump on Iran: ‘A whole civilisation will die tonight’end of listIran’s agreement to allow the pair to return comes amid an apparent thaw in relations between Paris and Tehran, as France has criticised the war being waged by the United States and Israel on Iran.The couple were detained in Iran in 2022, charged with spying for France and Israel. France insisted that the charges were unfounded.In November last year, they were released from the notorious Evin prison. They have been staying at the French embassy since.French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot ⁠⁠said he had spoken to the couple about their eagerness to return home.“They shared with me their emotion and their joy to return soon to their country and their loved ones,” he said in a social media post.His ministry said Barrot had held discussions over the weekend with Iranian counterpart Abbas Araqchi. French lawmakers greeted the announcement of their release with a standing ovation at the National Assembly.The pair were among a number of Europeans caught up in what activists and some Western governments, including France, describe as a deliberate strategy of “hostage-taking” by Iran to extract concessions from the West.