Cécile Kohler and Jacques Paris returned to France on Wednesday after more than three years of detention in Iran. They left Iran by road on Tuesday, right before a tentative ceasefire between the United States and Iran was announced. The pair had been released from prison in Iran in November but were holed up in French diplomatic premises in Tehran as Iranian authorities wouldn't allow them to leave the country.
They were driven from Iran to neighboring Azerbaijan, a journey that takes about nine hours, before taking a flight to Paris. They were accompanied all the way by France's ambassador to Tehran, Pierre Cochard. French President Emmanuel Macron welcomed Kohler and Paris at the Elysee presidential palace.
French diplomatic efforts played a key role in securing the release. Macron's office said their release is the outcome of a long-term effort, but talks accelerated in recent weeks due to pressure from the Iran war. Macron was the first Western head of state to speak on March 8 with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian after the war erupted, and they spoke on the phone twice more on March 15 and March 24.
French authorities thanked Oman for its mediation role to secure the release. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said on France 2 national television that Omani authorities made it possible, in the final stretch, to convey messages within the Iranian system. Barrot said details of negotiations with Iran would remain confidential.
Conflicting reports have emerged about a possible prisoner swap agreement with Iran. Iran's state-run agency IRNA reported Tuesday that Iran had reached an agreement with France for the release of both French citizens in exchange for Iranian national Mahdieh Esfandiari. However, Macron's office denied there was any such agreement about a prisoner swap.