France – France 24, Oct. 23, 2025
Iranian citizen Mahdieh Esfandiari, detained in France since February on charges of promoting terrorism online, was conditionally released Wednesday, Iran’s foreign ministry said, as Tehran pushes for her return in a potential prisoner swap for two French nationals.
ranian citizen Mahdieh Esfandiari, who was arrested in France in February accused of promoting terrorism on social media, has been conditionally released, the Iranian foreign ministry said Wednesday.
The decision to free her under judicial supervision was confirmed by the prosecutors’ office in Paris, which said it had urged the court to keep her detained.
France and Iran have discussed the release of Esfandiari in exchange for Cecile Kohler and Jacques Paris, a French couple detained by Iran, with Iran’s foreign minister saying last month that a deal was in “its final stages”.
Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei “welcomed the decision” to conditionally release Esfandiari in a statement, adding that Tehran was working on her return home.
