Iran’s foreign minister said Tehran and Paris are nearing a prisoner exchange deal, including the release of an Iranian woman detained in France over Gaza posts.
Late Thursday, Abbas Araghchi, the foreign minister, informed state television that Mahdieh Esfandiari will likely be released as part of a swap that he anticipated would take place "in the coming days."
According to French media, Esfandiari, a translator who has been in Lyon, France, since 2018, was detained in February on a terror-related accusation for allegedly posting on Telegram about the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks on Israel that led to the war in Gaza.
Although France has long requested the release of two French citizens detained in Iran on accusations of espionage, Araghchi did not specify which French inmates might be released. Since May 2022, Jacques Paris and Cécile Kohler have been in custody.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot declined on Friday to comment on Araghchi's remarks other than to say that France consistently demands the release of its citizens in Iran.
“These are sensitive subjects, subjects of great seriousness,”
Barrot said on France Inter radio.
Iran is allegedly using arrested Westerners as negotiating chips, according to right-wing organizations. Iran disputes this, claiming that Esfandiari's imprisonment in France was due only to her support for Palestinians.
The "snapback mechanism," which automatically reimposes all U.N. sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program, was started in late August by France, Britain, and Germany. They claim that Iran has consciously broken their 2015 nuclear agreement, which eased the sanctions.
How has the French government officially responded so far?
France has consistently called for the immediate and unconditional release of its nationals in Iran, such as Cécile Kohler and Jacques Paris, raising concerns about their treatment and the political nature of their detention.
French officials have threatened to take Iran to the International Court of Justice over the unlawful detention of its nationals.
President Emmanuel Macron and his government have sought to strike a balance on the Gaza situation, not shying away from stating Israel retains the right to defend itself, while also calling for humanitarian pauses, boosting humanitarian aid, and the resumption of political dialogue to end the violence.