Islamic Republic Arrested French Tourist Nine Months Ago

DUBAI, Feb 24 (Reuters) – The Islamic Republic has detained a French tourist in Iran for nine months and his lawyers have been denied access to him, one of the lawyers, Saeid Dehghan, told Reuters on Wednesday.

“His name is Benjamin and he is being held at the Iran Vakilabad prison in the city of Mashhad. He was detained nine months ago and he faces contradictory and baseless charges,” Dehghan said.

The Islamic Republic’s judiciary was not available to comment.

The arrest, if confirmed, would come at a sensitive time, when the United States and European parties to Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal are trying to restore the pact that was abandoned by former U.S. President Donald Trump in 2018.