TEHRAN -- Iran said Friday it has released two French citizens jailed in separate cases on humanitarian grounds and out of its goodwill. “Iran’s Judiciary freed two French citizens, one of them also holds Irish nationality, as a sign of goodwill and in a humanitarian measure in line with relevant laws and regulations,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani said. It followed a phone conversation between Iranian Foreign Minister Hussein Amir-Abdollahian and his French counterpart Catherine Colonna. Earlier on Friday, France’s President Emmanuel Macron announced the release of the two French

citizens, Bernard Phelan and Benjamin Briere.
The French foreign minister said Phelan, who also holds Irish nationality, and Briere were freed from their prison in the northeastern city of Mashhad and were “on their way to France”.
In a phone call with her Iranian counterpart, the French foreign minister thanked Iran’s humanitarian move to release the two detainees, describing it as an effective and confidence-building step in relations between Tehran and Paris.
Colonna said she held constructive talks with Amir-Abdollahian in Beijing early last month as she was accompanying President Macron during his state visit to China.
Pointing to the French president’s idea of greater strategic independence of Europe, Colonna said Paris believes constructive talks would be the best solution to the problems and welcomes the continuation of constructive negotiations with Tehran.