Iran's judiciary says that new arrests have been made in the case of an imprisoned French couple as authorities look to complete their investigation of the case.
Judiciary spokesman Massoud Setayeshi told reporters on October 25 that those arrested had given "valuable and strategic information" in the case of the French pair, who have been accused of "espionage and association and collusion with the aim of undermining the security of the country."
Setayeshi gave no details on how many people were arrested or what information had been gained, adding only that the investigation continues.
French teachers' union official Cecile Kohler and her partner, Jacques Paris, were arrested in early May in Tehran reportedly while on vacation. They are accused by the authorities of seeking to stir up labor protests.
In a video released on October 6, Kohler wears a head scarf and purportedly describes herself as an “intelligence and operation agent of the French foreign security service.” Paris says in the video: “Our goal in the French foreign security service is to put pressure on Iran’s government.”
The French government immediately slammed the videos, saying the confessions were "staged" and that the two "have been arbitrarily detained in Iran since May 2022, and as such are state hostages."
Iran said they were accused of "entering the country to sow chaos and destabilize society."
There are now five French nationals being held in Iran, according to French officials.
Reports indicate that some Iranian employees of the French Embassy in Tehran are also under arrest.
France has urged its citizens to leave Iran as soon as possible, saying they were exposed to the risk of arbitrary detention.
The warning came amid widespread protests in Iran over the last month following the death of a 22-year-old woman while in the custody of Iran's morality police after being detained for "improperly" wearing the hijab, a mandatory head scarf.
Iran has repeatedly accused outside forces are stoking the protests, without showing any evidence to back up its claim.
The Fars news agency, which is affiliated with Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), reported on October 19 that Iranian security forces have arrested a total of 14 foreigners, including American, British, Austrian, and French citizens, for their alleged involvement in anti-government protests.
Western countries have repeatedly charged that Iran is taking dual and foreign nationals into custody on false charges for the sole purpose of using them in prisoner swaps.