Two French citizens held in Iran for over three years have been formally charged with espionage for Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency, family members and diplomatic sources said on Wednesday.
Cécile Kohler, 40, and Jacques Paris, 72, were also charged with “conspiring to overthrow the regime” and “corruption on earth” — the latter being one of the most serious charges in Iran’s penal code, carrying the death penalty.
“All we know is that they have seen a judge who confirmed the three charges,” Kohler’s sister said.
Noemie Kohler, sister of Cecile Kohler, and Anne-Laure Paris, daughter of Jacques Paris, two French citizens who are held in Iran, attend a press conference in Paris, France June 27, 2025. Photo: REUTERS
“These accusations, if confirmed, are entirely baseless,” a French diplomatic source said.
Iranian authorities have yet to issue an official statement on the new charges.
The development follows a recent consular visit by a French diplomat, which provided the first confirmation in days that the couple were alive. Their whereabouts had been uncertain after an Israeli airstrike targeted Evin prison in Tehran last week. Iran's judiciary has said the strike killed at least 79 people.
Iran later announced that it had transferred detainees out of Evin but did not disclose how many or who. Some women prisoners were moved to Qarchak Prison.
Kohler and Paris were first detained in May 2022 on accusations of espionage, which their families have consistently denied.
France believes Iran currently holds about 20 European nationals, many of whom have not been publicly named. Since the latest round of regional tensions, Iran has also detained three more European citizens, two of whom are reportedly suspected of spying for Israel.
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