French Citizens Cécile Kohler and Jacques Paris Released from Iran After Three Years

Cécile Kohler, 41, and Jacques Paris, 72, left Iran on Tuesday, April 7, 2026, ending more than three and a half years of detention that began with their arrest in May 2022 on the final day of a tourist trip. French President Emmanuel Macron announced their departure on X, describing it as "a relief for everyone, especially for their families," and thanked Omani authorities for their mediation efforts. The couple, both teachers — Paris is retired — departed Tehran at dawn in a diplomatic convoy alongside the French ambassador, crossing into Azerbaijan, where they were expected to spend the night in Baku before returning to France on Wednesday. They were the last two French nationals held in Iran. The announcement drew a standing ovation from lawmakers across all political lines at the National Assembly in Paris. Yaël Braun-Pivet, president of the National Assembly, highlighted the country's unity in diplomatic action.

Evin prison, espionage charges, and a war closing in Kohler and Paris had been convicted of espionage for the benefit of Israel following a closed-door trial, charges their families consistently described as fabricated. In October 2025, an Iranian court sentenced Kohler to 20 years in prison and Paris to 17 years. They were released from Evin prison in November 2025 but remained under house arrest at the French embassy in Tehran, barred from leaving Iranian territory. Their situation grew more precarious after US-Israeli strikes on Iran began on February 28, 2026, launching a regional war that brought the threat of violence physically closer to the embassy compound. Martin Pradel, the lawyer for Kohler and Paris, described the period as one of acute danger. „Great joy, relief because the situation had been critical for some time now. Since the American operations in Iran, the bombings that are getting closer to them, this death has been omnipresent.” — Martin Pradel via Franceinfo French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot spoke with the couple by phone shortly after they crossed out of Iranian territory, around 2:30 p.m., according to his office. „They told me of their emotion and joy at soon being reunited with their country and their loved ones.” — Jean-Noël Barrot via France 24

France has long accused Iran of using the detention of foreign nationals as diplomatic leverage, a practice activists and several Western governments describe as deliberate hostage-taking to extract concessions. Kohler and Paris were among a broader group of Europeans held in Iran on charges their governments rejected as politically motivated. The Sultanate of Oman has historically served as a back-channel intermediary between Western nations and Tehran, given its neutral diplomatic posture in the Gulf region. The Élysée described the resolution of the Kohler-Paris case as the fruit of a "long-term process" that accelerated in the days immediately before their departure. The foreign ministry confirmed that Barrot had held discussions over the preceding weekend with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.

Iran claims prisoner swap; France calls it a separate case Iran's official news agency IRNA reported that the release was part of a bilateral understanding under which France would free Iranian national Mahdieh Esfandiari and withdraw a complaint lodged against Iran at the International Court of Justice. Esfandiari, a 39-year-old translator who arrived in France in 2018, had been convicted by a Paris criminal court in February 2026 for glorifying terrorism, direct online provocation to acts of terrorism, and public online insult based on religion and ethnicity, after she praised the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel and called for violence against the Jewish community in France. She received a sentence of four years in prison, including one year of closed detention, along with a permanent ban from French territory. On Tuesday afternoon, hours after Kohler and Paris left Iran, the individual administrative control and surveillance measure — known in France as a Micas — imposed on Esfandiari was lifted, her lawyer Nabil Boudi confirmed to AFP. A source from Macron's office described Esfandiari's situation as a "separate case," noting she had lodged an appeal, and the French government declined to confirm the existence of any exchange arrangement. The Élysée also did not comment on the IRNA report regarding the ICJ complaint. Anne-Laure Paris, daughter of Jacques Paris, expressed the family's relief simply. „We are waiting for their return to France so we can give them a big hug.” — Anne-Laure Paris via France 24

Kohler and Paris: from arrest to freedom: — ; — ; — ; — ; —