WANA (Oct 08) – Iran has released a 19-year-old French-German national who had been detained on espionage charges, the French foreign minister announced on Wednesday.

 

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said in a statement that “Lennart Montherlus has been freed.” In a post on the social platform X (formerly Twitter), he added: “Lennart Montherlus has been released! By bringing him back to France after his detention in Iran, the staff of our embassy and the Foreign Ministry have once again honored their mission to protect French citizens around the world. I have not forgotten Cécile Kohler and Jacques Paris and continue to call for their immediate release.”

 

Sources close to the case said Montherlus is expected to return to France on Thursday. His parents, in a written statement to AFP, expressed their relief, saying: “We are happy and deeply relieved that our son will soon be back with us.”

 

French President Emmanuel Macron also welcomed the release, writing on X: “Our compatriot Lennart Montherlus has finally been freed. He had been detained in Iran since June 15, 2025. The French nation shares in the joy and relief of his family. I thank all those who contributed to his release.”

 

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said on Monday that discussions regarding a possible prisoner exchange between Iran and France are ongoing. He noted: “The necessary steps have been taken within the Foreign Ministry, and final decisions are being reviewed by the relevant authorities of both countries. We hope that, given the progress made so far, this process will be concluded soon.”

Baghaei also referred to the case of Elaheh Esfandiari, an Iranian citizen detained in France, stating: “About ten days ago, our ambassador in Paris met with Ms. Esfandiari for the third time. We are consistently following up on her consular situation, and her case remains under investigation in France.”

 

In a related development, France withdrew its case against Iran from the International Court of Justice in September, a move that had accused Tehran of violating the consular protection rights of French citizens. The decision is widely viewed as a sign of progress in diplomatic negotiations between Tehran and Paris.