French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna in a telephone conversation with her Iranian counterpart Hossein Amirabdollahian on Friday appreciated Tehran’s humanitarian move of releasing two French nationals and called it an effective and confidence-building step.






Recollecting the recent remarks by French President Emmanuel Macron on the strategic independence of the country, Amirabdollahian said that practical measures toward implementing such a strategy are an effective step in today's evolving world.

He said that the IRGC has an unrivaled role in the security of Iran and in the war against Takfiri terrorists in the region, adding that the IRGC is a red line for Iran.

Colonna underscored that her recent visit with the Iranian foreign minister in Beijing was constructive.

Amirabdollahian and Colona held the meeting in Beijing in early April. The meeting took place as high-ranking delegations of the two countries were in the Chinese capital.

Accordingly, a French-Irish citizen Bernard Phelan, who was arrested and sentenced to 6.5 years in prison for sending security information at the peak of the unrest in Iran, has been released based on humanitarian considerations.

However, the Western media published baseless reports that Phelan’s life was at risk due to a heart problem and that he was held at sub-zero temperatures.

By IRNA