French citizen Olivier Grondeau was released by Iranian authorities, President Emmanuel Macron announced in a post on the social network "Ex", quoted by world agencies, BTA reports.
Olivier Grondeau is free, in France, among his family! We share the immense happiness and relief of his family.
Je remercie tous les services de l'État, notre ambassadeur en Iran et le Center de Crise et de Soutien du Quai d'Orsay, de leur action décisive.…— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) March 20, 2025
Grondo spent 887 days in an Iranian prison, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said in another post. The minister also posted a photo of a smiling Grondo aboard a private jet, the "Associated Press" notes.
The Frenchman, who was detained in Iran in October 2022, "is free, he is in France, among his loved ones", Macron said. He stressed that efforts to free the last two French citizens still imprisoned in Tehran would continue.
"We share the immense happiness and relief of his family," the president wrote of Grondo, 34, who was sentenced to five years in prison for espionage. French authorities described the sentence as arbitrary and accused Tehran of engaging in "hostage diplomacy".
"I would like to thank all government services, our ambassador in Iran and the crisis support center at the foreign ministry for their decisive action," Macron added.
The president did not specify when exactly Grondo was released, nor what the conditions for his release were.