WANA (Mar 20) – French President Emmanuel Macron announced that a French national previously imprisoned in Iran has been released and is now back in France.

 

In a statement on social media, Macron confirmed that Olivier Grondeau, who had been detained in Iran since 2022, has returned home.

 

“Olivier Grondeau is free. He is now in France, reunited with his family. We share in their immense relief and happiness,” Macron wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

 

The French president expressed gratitude to “all government institutions, our ambassador in Iran, and everyone involved” in securing Grondeau’s release.

 

Grondeau’s detention was part of a broader case involving French nationals in Iran. In November 2022, Iran’s judiciary spokesperson at the time, Masoud Setayeshi, had described the case as highly sensitive, requiring further investigation. He stated that those arrested were accused of “collusion and conspiracy against Iran’s security” and “espionage.”

 

In his message today, Macron also called for the release of two other detained French citizens, Cécile Kohler and Jacques Paris. “They must be freed from Iran’s prisons. Today, my thoughts are with them and their families,” he added.