Iran: French paid sentenced to prison time on spying charges

The defendants are believed to be couple Cecile Kohler and Jacques Paris, who were arrested in 2022.

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The reports do not name the defendants but they are believed to be Cecile Kohler, 40, and her partner Jacques Paris, 72, the only French nationals being held in Iran. They were arrested in May 2022 during a tourist trip.

The pair have been found guilty of spying on behalf of both France and Israel, the reports say.

The announcement comes more than a month after Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said a deal to exchange French detainees for an Iranian woman held in France was nearly complete.

Iran has previously said Kohler and Paris could be released as part of that agreement.