WANA (Feb 26) – A French court on Thursday sentenced Mahdieh Esfandiari, an Iranian citizen detained on allegations of justifying terrorism, to four years in prison, according to media reports.

 

Under the ruling, three years of the sentence were suspended, while one year is to be served.

 

The 39-year-old had previously spent eight months in pretrial detention before being granted conditional release.

 

Esfandiari detained in France for 235 days on charges of supporting the Palestinian people, was conditionally released on Wednesday night (October 22) following a French judge’s ruling.

 

According to the latest reports, the court also permanently banned her from entering French territory.

 

Political observers say the ruling could position Esfandiari as a potential bargaining lever in negotiations with Tehran concerning Cécile Kohler and Jacques Paris, two French nationals detained in Iran.

 

The pair were arrested in May 2022 and later received heavy sentences on charges including espionage. They were conditionally released in early November 2025 but remain barred from leaving Iran.

 

The WANA News Agency cannot independently confirm or deny this report.

A group of students attend a gathering in support of an Iranian student prisoner in France, Mahdieh Esfandiari, in front of the French embassy in Tehran, Iran, October 21, 2025. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency)