Paris demands immediate release of French arrested in Iran | Abroad

Iran reported on Wednesday that two Europeans had been arrested for espionage, but did not disclose their nationality. The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed on Thursday that it is a French couple. According to Tehran, they have ties to foreign intelligence services and have “some years of experience in fomenting unrest in other countries”.

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One of the French is a member of an education union, which says that the couple was on vacation in Iran. The French government is offering them consular assistance and has summoned an Iranian representative to Paris to explain.

The arrests come as a European Union envoy is in Iran to further negotiate the nuclear deal. In exchange for lifting international sanctions, Tehran would have to stop much of its nuclear program. Negotiations have been stalled since March because the United States refuses to remove the Revolutionary Guards from the terrorism list, an important condition for Iran.

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