Iran frees two French citizens

Two French citizens, Bernard Phelan, and Benjamin Briere, have been freed from detention in Iran, President Emmanuel Macron said on May 12, calling it "a relief".

"Benjamin Briere and Bernard Phelan will be reunited with their loved ones. This is a relief," Macron said on Twitter.

French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna said in a separate statement that both men were now on their way to France, adding that she spoke to her Iranian counterpart Hossein Amirabdollahian, Reuters reports.

According to French MFA, the Crisis and Support Centre at the French Embassy in Tehran supported the detainees throughout their detention in an Iranian prison. Colonna thanked everyone "who worked for the release" of Briere and Phelan and reiterated Paris' willingness to release all French prisoners in Iran.