Iran judicial authority says liaising with France over prisoner swap

Iran's judicial authority said Friday Tehran was liaising with Paris over the release of a French prisoner held in the Islamic republic after France released an Iranian threatened with extradition to the US.

The Iranian, Jallal Rohollahnejad, "has been freed today", the Iranian judiciary's news agency Mizan Online reported, without disclosing the identity of the French detainee.

Iranian state TV later Friday said he was already on a flight back to Tehran.

Rohollahnejad "an Iranian engineer incarcerated for more than a year in French prisons and accused of circumventing American sanctions against Iran, has been freed today," the news agency added.

The French Court of Cassation had on 11 March approved "the request to extradite Rohollahnejad to the US, but the French government freed him, changing this decision", it added.

"Taking into account the cooperation of the (Iranian) judicial system's intention to release a French detainee through reducing sentences, the French government" freed the Iranian engineer "in an act of mutual cooperation", according to the report.

France has for months demanded that Iran release two French researchers, Fariba Adelkhah and Roland Marchal, who were detained in June 2019. Their trial began in early March.

Adelkhah is a citizen of both Iran and France, but Tehran does not recognise dual nationality.

Iran has in recent months carried out prisoner exchanges with the US, Australia and Germany.