‘Valuable Information’ Obtained from French Spies: Iran Judiciary Spokesman

Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, Masoud Setayeshi said the case of the French spies is very significant with “intensive” dimensions.

He said “various precious and strategic information” has been extracted from the defendants, noting that the French nationals and the people connected with them are facing charges of espionage as well as assembly and collusion to act against national security.

Setayeshi added that accurate, swift and authentic investigations are being conducted into the case.

Two French citizens, who were arrested in Iran some four months ago, have admitted to their attempts to provoke anti-government protests and riots in the country with the purpose of putting pressure on the Islamic establishment.

The two French nationals, Cécile Kohler, 37, and Jacqeus Paris, 69, traveled to Iran on April 28 as tourists but turned out to be spies for Western intelligence agencies.

In a video aired on Iran’s Arabic-language television news network al-Alam TV on October 6, Kohler admitted to being an agent of the French General Directorate for External Security (DGSE), which is equivalent to the British MI6 and the American CIA.

In the recording, Kohler said she and her partner were in Iran with the main purpose of laying the groundwork for mass unrest in an attempt to trigger “a revolution” in the Islamic Republic and overthrow the Iranian government.

She explained that they brought in large sums of cash in order to fund riots and strikes, and purchase weaponry in an attempt to stir up chaos.

Kohler added that the weapons were meant to be used “to fight against the police,” if necessary.

According to the other spy, who was also shown in the video, the DGSE’s objective was to “put pressure on the Iranian government.”