A week after the return to France of two Frenchmen detained in Iran, the head of Iranian diplomacy welcomed, in an interview with Le Figaro, the "positive steps" of Paris and reported contacts for the release of the other four nationals.
Iran and France "continue their contacts to get rid of misunderstandings between our two countries," Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian told the French daily in Tehran this week.
"Contacts" with Catherine Colonna
He says he has "continuous contacts" with his French counterpart Catherine Colonna, the last of which dates back to May 12, the day of the return to France Benjamin Brière, 37, imprisoned in May 2020, and Franco-Irish Bernard Phelan, 64, arrested on October 3, 2022.
"We agree with Ms. Colonna to make efforts to secure the release of French nationals who are already convicted and imprisoned in Iran, but the continuation of this case rests with the judiciary of our country," said Amir Abdollahian. "Ms. Colonna and other French authorities have already taken positive steps; The result is in the interest of both countries," he said.
Four French nationals remain detained in Iran: Cécile Kohler and Jacques Paris, arrested on 7 May 2022, Louis Arnaud, arrested on 28 September and another person whose identity has never been made public. Paris denounces arbitrary detentions and considers them to be "state hostages".
Non-detailed "agreements"
The Iranian minister told LeFigaro that he had "talked about all the misunderstandings" with Colonna during a meeting of "nearly two hours" in Beijing in April. "There were agreements between us and part of our agreements resulted in the release of the two French nationals," he said, without giving details of these "agreements".
According to him, during the protest movement triggered in Iran by the death of Mahsa Amini in September, "a vast psychological and media war was waged against the Iranian people" and "Mr. Macron was wrong to present a certain vision on Iran, but he quickly understood that nothing would happen in Iran".
The French president had received four Iranian opponents at the Elysee Palace and described the demonstrations as a "revolution". Amir Abdollahian believes, however, that "Mr. Macron had started well with the government currently in place in Iran" and "had had good, constructive contacts with (President Ebrahim) Raisi", before the beginning of the movement.
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- Catherine Colonna
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