Diplomacy Iran accuses imprisoned Frenchmen of spying for Israel
Iran has accused two Frenchmen who have been imprisoned in the country for more than three years of spying for Israel. The two are facing the death penalty, according to the AFP news agency.
03.07.2025, 00:52
SDA
The Frenchwoman and the Frenchman are accused of having worked for the Israeli foreign intelligence service Mossad, Western diplomatic circles and those close to the two detainees told the AFP news agency on Wednesday.
In addition to espionage, the two were accused of "conspiracy to overthrow the regime" and the offense of "corruption on earth", which is prosecuted in the Islamic Republic. Each of the three offenses is punishable by death.
The sister of the imprisoned Frenchwoman stated that she only knew that a judge had confirmed the three alleged offenses. It is unclear when the detainees were informed of the accusations against them, and they still have no access to independent defense lawyers. The chargé d'affaires of the French embassy in Tehran visited the two on Tuesday.
"State hostages" of Iran
The two were arrested in Iran in May 2022 on suspicion of espionage. From the French point of view, the two are "state hostages" of Iran. They had been arbitrarily detained and the detention conditions were inhumane and tantamount to torture. According to France, Iran had only allowed very brief consular visits during which it was not possible to speak openly with the detainees. They are currently being held in solitary confinement in Evin prison in Tehran.
Officially, they are the last two French nationals to be detained in Iran. In March, a Frenchman was released after 887 days in prison in Iran.
According to information from French diplomatic circles, around 20 Western nationals are still being held in Iran. Human rights organizations accuse Tehran of using imprisoned foreigners as leverage in intergovernmental negotiations.
