Two French citizens, Cecile Kohler, 40, and Jacques Paris, 72, have been sentenced to lengthy prison terms by an Iranian court after being convicted of espionage. The pair, arrested during a tourist trip in May 2022, were accused of spying for both France and Israel. Iranian state media reported the verdicts but did not name the defendants, though they are widely believed to be the only French nationals detained in Iran. Kohler and Paris were sentenced to multiple years in prison and exile, with their pre-trial detention time to be deducted from their sentences. The verdicts can be appealed within 20 days. This case follows a pattern of Iran detaining foreign nationals, often for diplomatic leverage. Earlier this year, another French tourist, Olivier Grondeau, was released after serving part of a five-year sentence. Iran has previously suggested that Kohler and Paris could be exchanged for Mahdieh Esfandiari, an Iranian woman held in France on terrorism-related charges. France has condemned the detentions as arbitrary and accused Iran of subjecting the pair to torturous conditions. Human rights groups have criticized Iran for using detainees as bargaining chips in international negotiations. The situation highlights ongoing tensions between Iran and Western nations, with multiple Europeans currently held in Iranian custody.