Kohler and Paris were arrested in May 2022 during a vacation trip after meeting with protesting Iranian teachers and attending an anti-government rally, according to Iranian media reports at the time.
An Iranian court sentenced two French nationals to a combined 63 years in prison Tuesday on espionage charges that include spying for Israel, complicating prisoner swap negotiations that were reportedly near completion just weeks ago.
Iran’s Revolutionary Court in Tehran convicted one defendant of six years for espionage on behalf of France, five years for conspiracy against national security, and 20 years in internal exile for intelligence cooperation with Israel.
The other received 10 years for spying for France, five years for conspiracy against national security, and 17 years in exile for complicity in intelligence cooperation with Israel, the judiciary’s Mizan news agency reported.
