French-German teenage cyclist held in Iran
Iran has detained a Franco-German national on a Europe-to-Asia cycle trip who disappeared in the country on June 16, Iran's foreign minister told Le Monde newspaper on Thursday.
The French foreign ministry, which has accused Iran of pursuing a deliberate policy of detaining foreigners to use as bargaining chips, had previously expressed concern over the fate of Lennart Monterlos.
France and a number of other countries have urged their nationals not to go to Iran because of the risk of detention.
Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told Le Monde 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".
French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou urged Iran to not "persecute the innocent who are sometimes unaware of the risks they face" in an interview with broadcaster LCI.
The French foreign ministry told AFP it was in contact with Iranian authorities about the case and was also speaking with the teenager's family.
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