The French government on Friday issued a warning to its citizens in Iran, urging them to "leave the country as soon as possible," citing  the risk of arbitrary detention.

"All French visitors, including dual nationals, are exposed to a high risk of arrest, arbitrary detention and unfair trial," said a statement on the Foreign Ministry website.

"This risk also concerns people making a simple tourist visit," it added. 

The French Foreign Ministry website also warned that the "capacity of the French embassy in Tehran to provide consular protection to nationals arrested or detained in Iran is very limited."

Why is France concerned?

On Thursday, Iranian state television broadcast "confessions" by two French nationals, French teachers' union official Cecile Kohler and her partner Jacques Paris, who were arrested in May after being accused of seeking to stir unrest during teachers' strikes earlier this year.

On May 11, Iran announced the couple's detention, saying they "entered the country with the aim of triggering chaos and destabilizing society."

Two other French nationals, French-Iranian researcher Fariba Adelkhah and Benjamin Briere, are also being held by Tehran.

Tehran has accused Briere of espionage and gave him a lengthy sentence. He was arrested in May 2020.

There are currently more than 20 Westerners currently held in Iranian jails. Rights groups accuse Tehran of using hostage diplomacy to gain leverage and extract concessions from Western governments.

Unrest in Iran 

Iran is in the grips of dramatic social upheaval and civil disturbances following the September 16 death of a 22-year-old Iranian Kurdish woman, Mahsa Amini. 

She was detained for the breaking the conservative dress code for women in the Islamic Republic.

On Friday, Iran claimed Amini died from a illness , rather than beatings endured while in police custody.

ar/wmr (AFP, Reuters)