French President Emmanuel Macron announced this Thursday the release of one of the three French nationals Paris has described as "hostages" of the Iranian regime, having been detained to exert diplomatic pressure.
In a message on his X account, Macron explained that “Olivier Grondeau is free, in France, among his family. We share his family's immense happiness and relief. I thank all the state services, our ambassador in Iran, and the Foreign Ministry's Crisis and Support Center for their decisive action.”
The head of state announced that this mobilization "will not weaken" to secure the release of the couple Cécile Kohler and Jacques Paris, the other two French people still imprisoned in Iran, which French authorities consider unfair due to France's foreign policy stance toward that country.
According to Europe 1, Grondeau has been in France since last Monday afternoon.
The 35-year-old was arrested in Shiraz, southwest Iran, on October 12, 2022, while traveling around the world on a sightseeing tour. He was sentenced to five years in prison in February 2024 for espionage, but he claimed his arrest was the result of "a misunderstanding."
Cécile Kohler and Jacques Paris are incarcerated in Evin Prison in Tehran, also accused of espionage. These two teachers (she teaches literature at a high school in the Paris region, he teaches mathematics, now retired) were arrested in May 2022 while on vacation in Iran. EFE
Macron announces the release of one of the three French hostages held by the Iranian regime.
Emmanuel Macron Photo: U.S. Army / David Resnick U.S. Department of Defense via Wikimedia Commons Public Domain