France – France 24, July 07, 2025
French President Emmanuel Macron threatened “retaliatory measures” against Tehran if it persisted with new charges against a French couple held in Iran, including accusations that they spied for Israel
President Emmanuel Macron threatened Tehran with “retaliatory measures” if Iran upheld new charges against a French couple held in Iran, including claims that they spied for Israel.
Cecile Kohler, 40, and Jacques Paris, her 72-year-old partner, have been held in Iran since May 2022 on charges of espionage that their families deny.
But Iran has now charged the pair with spying for Israel’s intelligence agency Mossad, as well as “corruption of Earth” and “plotting to overthrow the regime”, diplomatic and family sources told AFP on Wednesday.Tehran has not confirmed the new charges, all three of which carry the death penalty.
A French diplomatic source has described the allegations as “completely unfounded”.
Macron called the fresh indictments a “provocation towards France“.
“We won’t wait to answer,” he said, adding that he would soon speak to his Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian.
Macron did not mention what such “retaliatory measures” could be.
