French foreign ministry says two more detained in Iran

• Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna announced that two more French nationals had been arrested in Iran.
• She demanded their immediate release and access to consular protection.
• Since Mahsa Amini died while being held by the morality police in the middle of September, there have been sizable protests throughout Iran.

Along with the five other people who had previously been detained, France demands the immediate release of the most recent inmates.

Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna announced that two more French nationals had been arrested in Iran, bringing the total number of French nationals detained in the Middle Eastern nation racked by weeks of protests to seven. She demanded their immediate release and access to consular protection.

“We are worried about two other compatriots and the last verifications show they are also detained,” Colonna told newspaper on Saturday.

“It is more important than ever to remind Iran of its international obligations. If its aim is blackmail, then it cannot work,” she said.

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“My Iranian counterpart, with whom I had a long difficult conversation, has committed to respecting this right of access. I expect it to be realized.”

The announcement was made one day after French President Emmanuel Macron met with four prominent Iranian women activists at the Elysee Palace in Paris.

Macron last month said France “stands by” the protesters in Iran and expressed his “admiration” for women and youths demonstrating in the country.

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The Iranian foreign ministry said that his comments were “meddlesome” and served to encourage “violent people and lawbreakers”.

Since Mahsa Amini died while being held by the morality police in the middle of September, there have been sizable protests throughout Iran. The 22-year-old woman was held for improper hijab wear. One of the largest demonstrations since the Iranian revolution of 1979 has been blamed by Tehran on the United States and Israel.

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