France concerned over citizen missing in Iran, minister says
FILE PHOTO: France's Delegate Minister for Foreign Trade and French Nationals Abroad Laurent Saint-Martin listens to the speech of France's Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Noel Barrot, after a meeting with European partners to suggest a negotiated solution to end the conflict between Iran and Israel at the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs (Quai d'Orsay) in Paris, France June 19, 2025. JULIEN DE ROSA/Pool via REUTERS/File photo
PARIS - A French man has been missing in Iran since mid-June, France's minister responsible for the country's residents abroad said on Monday, adding that Paris had no details on what had happened to the man.
"It's a worrying disappearance and we are in contact with the family," Laurent Saint-Martin, who is also trade minister, told RTL radio.
"It is worrying because Iran has a deliberate policy of taking Western hostages," he added.
But Saint-Martin did not say specifically that the Iranian authorities were holding the man, who also has German nationality.
French media reported that the man was an 18-year-old who had been on a cycling trip in the region but went missing a few days after Israeli planes struck targets in Iran.
Separately, a diplomatic source said Iran has charged two French nationals - Jacques Paris and Cecile Kohler - with spying for Israel's Mossad intelligence service. The two have been held in Iran more than three years in what France has called state-sponsored hostage taking.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot, who spoke with his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araqchi on Sunday, made no mention in a statement of the missing teenager but demanded the "immediate and unconditional" release of Paris and Kohler.
Top stories
Swipe. Select. Stay informed.
Singapore Eligible S'poreans to get up to $850 in GSTV cash, up to $450 in MediSave top-ups in August
Singapore Four golf courses to close by 2035, leaving Singapore with 12 courses
Singapore Fewer marriages and births in Singapore in 2024; greater stability for later cohorts
Singapore Paternity leave take-up in S'pore rises to 56% in 2023; experts hope for further boost after extension
Singapore Construction starts on Cross Island Line Phase 2; 6 MRT stations in S'pore's west ready by 2032
Singapore $1.46b nickel scam: Ng Yu Zhi opts to remain silent after judge calls for his defence
Singapore More nurses to anchor care in community settings as Singapore's population ages
Life How to cope with the heat when travelling: 5 expert-backed tips
Kohler's sister on Sunday said that the two had been moved from Evin prison in Tehran after Israel bombed the site but that she had not been told where the two were now being held.
Iran's Revolutionary Guards have detained dozens of foreign and dual nationals in recent years, often on espionage-related charges. Rights groups and Western countries accuse Tehran of using foreign detainees as bargaining chips, which it denies.
France in May filed a case at the World Court against Iran for violating the right to consular protection, in a bid to pressure Tehran over the detention of its two citizens. REUTERS
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

Straits Times
29 minutes ago
- Straits Times
Spain arrests 10 after far-right groups and migrants clash
TORRE PACHECO, Spain - Spanish police have arrested 10 people after three nights of clashes between far-right groups and North African migrants in a town in southeastern Spain, the government said on Monday. In one of Spain's worst such flare-ups of recent times, several dozen youths, some hooded, hurled glass bottles and other objects at riot police in Torre Pacheco on Sunday night, Reuters journalists saw. Police fired rubber bullets to quell the unrest. The trouble stemmed from an attack last week on a man in his late 60s that left him injured and recovering at home. An Interior Ministry spokesperson told Reuters late on Monday that the suspected main perpetrator in last week's attack was arrested in the northern Basque Country. Authorities had previously said they had detained two foreigners suspected of involvement in the assault. The victim told LaSexta broadcaster last week that he had been on a walk in a cemetery garden when two men, speaking a language he did not understand, ran towards him, one in an agitated state. "He threw me to the ground and hit me. It all happened very quickly. I think they hit me and then left," said the man, whom LaSexta and other media identified as Domingo Tomas. The other seven detainees - six Spaniards and one person of North African origin - were arrested for assault, public disorder, hate crimes or damage to property, the Interior Ministry said. Migrants, many of them second-generation, make up about a third of Torre Pacheco's population of about 40,000. The area around the town also hosts large numbers of migrants who work as day labourers in agriculture, one of the pillars of the economy in the Murcia region. "I ask the migrant community not to leave their homes and not to confront rioters, because confrontation achieves nothing and ultimately makes us all afraid," local mayor Pedro Angel Roca told national broadcaster TVE. 'WE WANT PEACE' Speaking to radio station Cadena Ser, Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska attributed the violence to anti-immigration rhetoric from far-right groups and political parties such as Vox, which he said unjustifiably links immigration to crime. The violence in Torre Pacheco was organised and fomented by calls on social media, the minister added. Vox leader Santiago Abascal denied any responsibility for the incidents and said the government's migration policies were to blame. Spain has been open to migration and its economic benefits, even as other European governments have tightened borders. But debate has reignited, led by Vox, as plans to relocate unaccompanied underage migrants from the Canary Islands to the rest of Spain have been confirmed in recent weeks. "Spain is not a country that hunts down immigrants, and if we have to take to the streets, it is to defend the rights of thousands of people who are completely trapped and distressed by this hunt for immigrants," Migration Minister Elma Saiz told El Pais newspaper. Abdelali, a North African migrant who lives in Torre Pacheco and declined to give his surname, said he was afraid of riding his scooter due to rioters throwing bottles. "We want peace. That's what we want, we don't want anything else," he told Reuters on Sunday. In 2000, violent anti-immigration protests broke out in the Almeria town of El Ejido in southern Spain after three Spanish citizens were killed by Moroccan migrants. REUTERS

Straits Times
29 minutes ago
- Straits Times
Zelenskiy names new prime minister, taps official who spearheaded US minerals deal
Find out what's new on ST website and app. FILE PHOTO: Yulia Anatoliivna Svyrydenko, First Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine, takes part in the panel discussion \"Ukraine: The Road Ahead\" at the 55th annual World Economic Forum (WEF) meeting in Davos, Switzerland, January 23, 2025. REUTERS/Yves Herman/File Photo KYIV - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy asked First Deputy Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko on Monday to lead a new government, setting the stage for a political reshuffle as Ukraine's war with Russia raged on. Zelenskiy also proposed that Ukraine's current prime minister, Denys Shmyhal, take over as defence minister, describing him as holding the right qualifications for a very important job. The nominations, which require parliamentary approval, came as diplomatic efforts to end the war, now in its fourth year, have stalled and as Ukraine seeks to revive its cash-strapped economy and build up a domestic arms industry. "We ... discussed concrete measures to boost Ukraine's economic potential, expand support programs for Ukrainians, and scale up our domestic weapons production," Zelenskiy wrote on X. "In pursuit of this goal, we are initiating a transformation of the executive branch in Ukraine," he said, adding that he had proposed that Svyrydenko lead the government and "significantly renew its work". Svyrydenko, 39, is an economist and has served as first deputy prime minister since 2021. She played a key role in recent negotiations for a minerals deal with the United States. In his nightly video address, Zelenskiy praised Shmyhal's "vast experience" as very "valuable in the position of minister of defence of Ukraine." Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore HSA intensifies crackdown on vapes; young suspected Kpod peddlers nabbed in Bishan, Yishun Singapore Man charged over distributing nearly 3 tonnes of vapes in one day in Bishan, Ubi Avenue 3 Singapore Public healthcare institutions to record all Kpod cases, confiscate vapes: MOH, HSA Singapore Man allegedly attacks woman with knife at Kallang Wave Mall, to be charged with attempted murder Singapore Singapore boosts support for Timor-Leste as it prepares to join Asean Singapore UN aviation and maritime agencies pledge to collaborate to boost safety, tackle challenges Singapore High Court dismisses appeal of drink driver who killed one after treating Tampines road like racetrack Singapore 18 years' jail for woman who hacked adoptive father to death after tussle over Sengkang flat "This is precisely the area where the country's maximum resources, maximum tasks and a great deal of responsibility are currently concentrated," he said. Shmyhal has served as prime minister since March 2020, making him the longest-serving head of government since the country gained its independence from Moscow in 1991 amid the collapse of the Soviet Union. He would replace Rustem Umerov, who Zelenskiy suggested last week could be named Ukraine's ambassador to Washington. Ukraine relies on financial aid from its Western allies to finance social and humanitarian spending as the bulk of state revenues go to fund the army and domestic weapons production. FINANCING THE ARMS INDUSTRY Ukrainian officials have also urged Kyiv's partners to help finance the country's arms industry, including through joint defence projects. In his address, Zelenskiy said Ukraine would continue to "boost production of its own weapons and develop its own defence projects -- our own Ukrainian and jointly with our partners". Writing on X, Svyrydenko said she would pursue deregulation, cut back bureaucracy, protect business and reduce non-critical expenditure to achieve the "full concentration of state resources" for defence and post-war recovery. "The state apparatus has no right to waste the resources and potential of our country," she said. "Ukraine deserves to be among the strongest economies in Europe." REUTERS

Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
Egypt says Israel-EU agreement has not increased aid to Gaza
Find out what's new on ST website and app. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar speaks to the media as he arrives at the 5th EU-Southern Neighbourhood Ministerial meeting in Brussels, Belgium, July 14, 2025. REUTERS/Yves Herman BRUSSELS - Egypt's foreign minister said on Monday that the flow of aid into Gaza has not increased despite an agreement last week between Israel and the European Union that should have had that result. "Nothing has changed (on the ground)," Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty told reporters ahead of the EU-Middle East meeting in Brussels on Monday. The EU's top diplomat said on Thursday that the bloc and Israel agreed to improve Gaza's humanitarian situation, including increasing the number of aid trucks and opening crossing points and aid routes. Asked what steps Israel has taken, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar referred to an understanding with the EU but did not provide details on implementation. Asked if there were improvements after the agreement, Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi told reporters that the situation in Gaza remains "catastrophic". "There is a real catastrophe happening in Gaza resulting from the continuation of the Israeli siege," he said. Safadi said Israel allowed the entry of 40 to 50 trucks days ago from Jordan but that was "far from being sufficient" for the besieged enclave. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore HSA intensifies crackdown on vapes; young suspected Kpod peddlers nabbed in Bishan, Yishun Singapore Man charged over distributing nearly 3 tonnes of vapes in one day in Bishan, Ubi Avenue 3 Singapore Public healthcare institutions to record all Kpod cases, confiscate vapes: MOH, HSA Singapore Man allegedly attacks woman with knife at Kallang Wave Mall, to be charged with attempted murder Singapore Singapore boosts support for Timor-Leste as it prepares to join Asean Singapore UN aviation and maritime agencies pledge to collaborate to boost safety, tackle challenges Singapore High Court dismisses appeal of drink driver who killed one after treating Tampines road like racetrack Singapore 18 years' jail for woman who hacked adoptive father to death after tussle over Sengkang flat EU's foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said ahead of Monday's meeting that there have been some signs of progress on Gaza aid but not enough improvement on the ground. Israel's continued military operations and blockade have left the entire population of 2.3 million people in Gaza facing acute food insecurity, with nearly half a million at risk of famine by the end of September, a joint United Nations report said last month. REUTERS