ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – French President Emmanuel Macron said Tuesday that two French nationals detained in Iran for more than three years have been released and en route to France after Tehran allowed their departure, following agreement with Paris to withdrawal its complaint at the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

In November, Macron said that Cecile Kohler and Jacques Paris, two French nationals who had been held in Iran since 2022, were released and set to be handed over to the French embassy in Tehran, with efforts continuing to bring them back to Paris as soon as possible.

The pair were sentences to 31 and 32 years imprisonment in October by Iran’s judiciary on charges of spying for French intelligence, cooperation with Israel, and compromising the country's security.

“Cecile Kohler and Jacques Paris are free and on their way to French territory, after three and a half years of detention in Iran,” Macron said on Tuesday in a post on X.

Iran’s state-owned IRNA news agency confirmed the release of the French nationals, saying that the move is based on an arrangement reached between Iran and France.

The agreement included the “release of Ms. Mahdieh Esfandiari and the withdrawal of its complaint against Iran at the International Court of Justice,” IRNA said.

In February, a French court sentenced Esfandiari to one year in prison on charges of "justifying terrorism" over comments she made on social media, including regarding 2023 attack on Israel.

France filed a complaint against Iran at the ICJ in May, accusing Tehran of repeatedly violating the consular rights by denying access and protections to detained French citizens.

The two French academics were held in Iranian custody after being detained in 2022 during a trip to the country, at a time when Iran was witnessing one of its largest nationwide uprisings following the death of Mahsa (Jina) Amini in police custody, known as the “Woman, Life, Freedom” (Jin, Jiyan, Azadi) movement.

Iran’s Intelligence Ministry accused the two Europeans of allegedly seeking to fuel unrest by capitalizing on public grievances.