Iran announced today that it has acquitted a young French-German citizen arrested in June in the country and accused of espionage, Agence France-Presse reported, quoted by BTA.
The court's decision comes at a time when Tehran may release two French citizens detained in 2022 in exchange for the release of an Iranian citizen arrested in France.
Lenard Monterlot, 19, was detained on June 16 in southern Iran while crossing the country on a bicycle. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in July that he had committed a crime, without specifying what.
In its ruling, the court said it was acquitting him, taking into account legal principles and doubts about whether the defendant had committed the crime he was charged with.
On September 11, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi surprisingly announced that France and Iran were "in the final phase" of an agreement to exchange French prisoners in Iran for an Iranian woman held in France.