Iran 'frees French researcher' in apparent prisoner swap
Marchal and Rouhani
Iranian authorities have released French academic Roland Marchal, who has been imprisoned inIransince June 2019, a French presidency official said on Saturday.
Marchal is due to arrive in France around mid-day on Saturday, the official said.
French President Emmanuel Macron urgedIranto also release French citizen Fariba Adelkhah, who is still imprisoned, the official added. Adelkhah also holds anIranian passport.
Iranand France have agreed to swap Marchal, held on security charges, and anIranian detained by Paris over alleged violations of USsanctions against Tehran,Iranian state media reported on Friday.
France has released Jalal Ruhollahnejad, anIranian engineer wanted by USauthorities over sanctions charges, state broadcaster IRIB has reported.
)
Aamir Khan and his girlfriend Gauri Spratt visit actor Dharmendra in hospital
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
From India to China: The 10 countries with the most difficult education systems in the world
)
3I/ATLAS hiding pristine material, but is no longer a relic of its past — Study examines NASA data
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
The 5 largest empires in world history — Ranked by land area
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
US Marine Corps' 250th Anniversary: 5 must-watch movies based on Marine Corps- Full Metal Jacket, A Few Good Men
)
HIGH ALERT in Bangladesh after bomb blasts, arson at various locations in Dhaka - What we know
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
From Virat Kohli to Quinton de Kock, 5 batters fastest to 7000 runs in ODIs
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
Meet top 5 batters fastest to 3000 runs in ODIs, surprisingly no Indian on the list
)
Ricin: The new bio-weapon on the block threatening global security—Know what makes this chemical so dangerous?
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
Which country has the longest train route in the world
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
Tale of the Nine Tailed to Touch Your Heart: Popular k-dramas featuring Lee Dong Wook
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
7 Unhappiest countries in the world 2025: Is India one of them?
France had demanded thatIranrelease Marchal, a senior researcher at Sciences Po university whose arrest was reported by Paris in mid-October.
In May, a French court approved the extradition of Rouhollahnejad to the United States to face charges of attempting to illegally import UStechnology for military purposes on behalf of anIranian company which U.S. officials said was linked to the elite Revolutionary Guards.
The detentions have complicated ties between the two countries during a period when Macron was seeking to defuse tensions between Washington and Tehran.
IranRevolutionary Guards have arrested dozens of dual nationals in recent years, mostly on espionage charges.
The detentions have coincided with a protracted standoff with Western powers prompted by a U.S. decision to withdraw from an international agreement to curbIranian nuclear activities.