France's prime minister has called on Iran not to "persecute innocent people" after Tehran announced it had arrested young Franco-German cyclist Lennart Monterlos, who disappeared in the country on 16 June.
The French foreign ministry had previously expressed concern over the fate of 18-year-old Lennart Monterlos who disappeared in Iran on 16 June, while on a cycling trip from Europe to Asia.
Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told French newspaper Le Monde on Thursday that an "official notification" about Monterlos had been sent to the French embassy in Tehran.
He said Monterlos "has been arrested for committing an offence".
France and a number of other countries have urged their nationals not to go to Iran because of the risk of detention.
In an interview with broadcaster LCI on Thursday evening, French Prime Minister François Bayrou urged Iran not to "persecute the innocent who are sometimes unaware of the risks they face".
The French foreign ministry, which has accused Iran of pursuing a deliberate policy of detaining foreigners to use as bargaining chips, said it was in contact with Iranian authorities about the case and was also speaking with the teenager's family.
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'Retaliatory measures'
Monterlos is the third French national currently held in Iran. Academics Cecile Kohler, 40, and Jacques Paris, 72, are being held on charges of spying for Israel and could face the death penalty. They were detained on 7 May, 2022 on the final day of a holiday in Iran.
French President Emmanuel Macron has threatened Iran with "retaliatory measures" if the pair are not released.
In May, France filed a case at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), accusing Iran of "violating its obligation to provide consular protection" to Kohler and Paris and holding them "hostage" under "appalling conditions that amount to torture".
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Relations between Paris and Tehran have been tense, with Iran accusing the West of not doing enough to condemn Israel's recent strikes.
Along with other European countries, France suspects Iran of taking Western citizens hostage to barter their freedom for concessions, notably on its nuclear plans and the lifting of economic sanctions on the Islamic republic.
The European Union has hinted that it could reimpose the sanctions mechanism planned in the 2015 deal on Tehran's atomic programme.
"The threat of sanctions does not help diplomacy," Araghchi said, urging France, Germany and the United Kingdom to play "a constructive role" in the talks.
Iran is believed to be holding around 20 Europeans in detention.
(with newswires)
