France has expressed concern over the disappearance of a French citizen in Iran, with the country’s minister for citizens abroad describing the case as “worrying.” The man, believed to be a
teenager on a cycling trip, has been missing since mid-June—just days after Israeli airstrikes targeted Iranian sites.
Laurent Saint-Martin, France’s minister for citizens abroad and also its trade minister, confirmed the disappearance during an interview with RTL radio on Monday. “It’s a worrying disappearance and we are in contact with the family,” he said. “It is concerning because Iran has a known policy of detaining Western nationals.”
While Saint-Martin stopped short of saying Iranian authorities are involved, he noted that the man also holds German nationality.
According to French media, the missing individual is an 18-year-old who vanished shortly after Israeli military action in Iran. The case adds to ongoing tensions between France and Tehran over the detention of French nationals.
In a separate development, Iran has officially charged two French citizens—Jacques Paris and Cécile Kohler—with espionage for Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency. Both have been imprisoned in Iran for over three years. France has strongly condemned their detention, calling it “state-sponsored hostage-taking.”
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot recently spoke with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi. Although the missing teenager was not mentioned in Barrot’s official statement, he called for the "immediate and unconditional" release of Paris and Kohler.
Following Israeli strikes on Tehran’s Evin Prison, Kohler’s sister reported that the pair had been relocated, though their new location remains unknown.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards have arrested dozens of foreign and dual nationals in recent years, typically on espionage charges. Human rights groups and Western governments accuse Tehran of using such detainees as leverage—an allegation Iran denies.
In May, France escalated the issue to the World Court, filing a case against Iran for violating the right to consular protection, in an effort to increase pressure for the release of its detained citizens. Photo by Sasan Geranmehr, Wikimedia commons.