A week after the return to France of two French people detained in Iran, the head of Iranian diplomacy hailed, in an interview with Figarothe “positive steps” of Paris and reports contacts for the release of the four other nationals.
Iran and France “continue their contacts to get rid of the misunderstandings between our two countries,” said Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian, interviewed this week by the French daily in Tehran.
“Contacts” with Catherine Colonna
He indicates that 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 of Benjamin Brière, 37, imprisoned in May 2020, and Franco-Irish Bernard Phelan, 64. , discontinued on October 3, 2022.
“We agree with Ms. Colonna to make efforts to obtain the release of French nationals who are already convicted and imprisoned in Iran, but the prosecution of this case is up to the judiciary of our country”, explains Mr. 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 people remain detained in Iran: Cécile Kohler and Jacques Paris, arrested on May 7, 2022, Louis Arnaud, arrested on September 28 and another person whose identity has never been made public. Paris denounces arbitrary detentions and considers that they are “State hostages”.
Non-detailed “agreements”
The Iranian minister tells the Figaro having “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 explains, 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 notably 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) Raïssi”, before the start of the movement.
