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

Iran has allowed former two French detainees, Cecile 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.

“Cecile 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, signalled how Iran is differentiating between nations, treating some favourably 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 US-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.