“French citizens released from Iran return to Paris”
Two French nationals who were detained in Iran have been released and have returned to France. The individuals, Benjamin Briere and Bernard Phelan, landed at Bourget airport, a private jet airport close to Paris. They were immediately reunited with their families upon arrival. French President Emmanuel Macron expressed his joy over their release on his Twitter account. Briere was detained in May 2020 for “espionage” while Phelan was detained in Iran on October 3, 2022, for “violating national security.” In his statement, Macron also mentioned that the French government will continue to work towards the extradition of the French citizens still detained in Iran. French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna had previously called for the immediate release of six French citizens imprisoned in Iran during her meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Hussein Emir Abdullahiyan in Beijing, China, in April. The release of Briere and Phelan is viewed as a positive development in the strained relationship between Iran and France.
