Iran detained two French citizens and accuses them of spying for Israel.

Two French citizens, Cécile Kohler and Jacques Paris, have been accused in Iran of spying for the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad, according to Western diplomatic sources and family members.

Both have been detained since May 2022 and recently were charged with three serious offenses: espionage, conspiracy to overthrow the Iranian regime, and "corruption on earth," a broad accusation in the Iranian judicial system that can be applied to crimes against state security. All three charges carry the death penalty.

Kohler's sister confirmed that an Iranian judge officially validated the accusations, although she noted that both detainees still have no access to independent lawyers. Meanwhile, a French diplomatic source described the charges as "completely unfounded" and demanded that the defendants' right to defense be respected. The source also stated that Kohler and Paris are innocent.

Tehran had previously stated that the French citizens were arrested for espionage, although it had not specified for whom they were allegedly working.

This is the first time their case has been officially linked to Mossad, according to newly revealed information. However, Iranian authorities have not yet officially confirmed the new charges.

The case gained greater international attention after an Israeli airstrike on Evin prison in Tehran last Tuesday, July 1, where both were being held. The bombing, which occurred shortly before a ceasefire brokered by the United States between Israel and Iran took effect, left at least 79 dead according to figures from the Iranian judiciary.

After the attack, some prisoners from Evin were transferred, although no details have been provided about how many or who were relocated. Until a few days ago, the status and whereabouts of Kohler and Paris were unknown, but the situation was partially clarified after a visit by the French chargé d'affaires to the prison.

Kohler, 40 years old, and her partner Jacques Paris, 72, had been imprisoned for more than three years in conditions that human rights organizations and Western governments have denounced as arbitrary.

France and other European countries maintain that Iran uses the detention of foreign citizens as a strategy of "coercive diplomacy" or "hostage-taking," in order to obtain political concessions or prisoner exchanges.

Currently, it is estimated that Iran is holding about 20 European citizens under arrest, many of whom have not been publicly identified. In the context of the current conflict between Iran and Israel, Iranian authorities have arrested three more European citizens, two of whom are also accused of spying for Israel.