An 18-year-old French national acquitted by an Iranian court of charges he had spied for Israel has been freed, its foreign minister said on Wednesday, adding that efforts continue to secure the release other detainees.
Jean-Noël Barrot gave no further details about the circumstances of Lennart Monterlos's release but called for of two other citizens held by Tehran on espionage charges to be freed as well.
On Monday, an Iranian court had acquitted dual German-French national Monterlos of espionage charges related to the recent 12-day conflict between Israel and Iran.
He had been arrested in Iran in June around the time of a surprise Israeli air campaign that exposed intelligence failures and killed hundreds of military personnel and civilians.
A statement from the French Foreign Ministry said Monterlos has been reunited with his family.
"I do not forget Cécile Kohler and Jacques Paris, whose immediate release we demand," he added in a post on X.
Iran detained the pair 2022 and subsequently aired what appeared to be a forced confession in which they admitted to spying for Israel on state television.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi suggested last month that the two could be exchanged for Mahdieh Esfandiari, an Iranian woman arrested in Lyon in February on charges of promoting terrorism through social media.
Last month, a British couple, Craig and Lindsay Foreman, appeared in court in Tehran on similar espionage charges after being held since January.
Western governments and human rights organizations accuse Tehran of detaining foreign nationals to gain political leverage in disputes with Europe and the United States.
Iran rejects the allegation, saying such cases are based on legitimate security concerns.
France withdrew its case against Iran at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) over the detention of Paris and Kohler, the court announced last month without elaborating. It was unclear if the move indicated their release was approaching.
The state-run Supreme Labor Council has approved successive annual increases, including a 45% rise for 2025 that set the base salary at roughly 104.4 million rials.
Yet at current market rates at about 1,160,000 rials per dollar, that monthly wage is worth about $90–$110 depending on benefits, compared with about $238–$300 in 2016 when the minimum was over 81 million rials (today less than $7) and the dollar traded near 34,000 rials, according to calculations cited by ILNA.
Labor activist Bahram Hassaninejad said the living standards of wage earners have “severely declined in both quality and quantity,” adding that many now work merely to survive.
He said the erosion of workers’ material and social standing has deepened over time, with little sign of recovery to conditions seen a decade ago. “Every administration that has come to power has only completed the anti-labor policies of the previous one,” he added.
According to labor groups, modest state subsidies and food vouchers have failed to close the widening gap between wages and living costs. Many workers now take on extra or informal jobs -- from driving and street vending to collecting recyclables --in an effort to keep their families afloat.
Regular labor protests have continued over worsening economic conditions. Demonstrators often hold signs reading, “Our wages are in rials, but the costs are in dollars,” highlighting how dollar-linked prices and imported goods have eroded real incomes despite repeated pay increases.
Independent estimates reported by Iranian outlets suggest today’s base wage covers only a fraction of a typical household’s monthly expenses.
One labor advocate said a standard basket of basic goods for a three-person family far exceeds the minimum salary, adding, “With this income, a family can only cover a few days of essential costs.”
Officials say annual wage-setting follows the law, which requires consideration of inflation and basic needs. Economists caution that large nominal raises, without broader reforms, can feed prices while failing to restore purchasing power.
The outlet said years of drought and groundwater depletion have left once-fertile fields barren, destroying local agriculture and livelihoods.
Farmers told ILNA that widespread crop failure has driven them to close their orchards and shops, with some families migrating to nearby towns.
“The salt-laden winds have made breathing painful. People are leaving,” one resident said.
Local officials warned that the storms -- clouds of fine salt lifted from the desiccated lakebed -- are contaminating soil and water and triggering respiratory and even cancer-related illnesses among remaining residents.
In the village of GovarchinGhale, population has dropped from more than 470 families to around 130, mostly elderly people, according to the village council.
ILNA cited environmental experts linking the worsening crisis to decades of overpumping and illegal wells.
Urmia County Governor Rasoul Moghabeli said the number of wells in the lake basin had surged from 7,000 to over 90,000 in recent years, putting dangerous pressure on the groundwater.
Officials from the Urmia Lake Restoration Headquarters denied reports of mass migration, saying the reports were politically motivated, but acknowledged that more than 90% of water consumption in the region goes to agriculture -- much of it for water-intensive crops such as apples and sugar beet.
They warned that unless irrigation practices are reformed and unauthorized farmland reclaimed, the salt storms could expand across northwestern Iran within a decade, threatening millions of residents.
The report comes as Iran faces a deepening nationwide water emergency with 19 major dams close to depletion.
Attorney-General Michelle Rowland presented the bill to Parliament, saying it aims to close a major legal gap in Australia’s counterterrorism framework by permitting the listing of state-backed organizations accused of supporting or conducting terrorist acts.
The move follows findings by the Australian Security Intelligence Organization (ASIO) that the IRGC was involved in two anti-Semitic attacks in Sydney and Melbourne in 2024.
Rowland said the new Criminal Code Amendment (State Sponsors of Terrorism) Bill 2025 would strengthen Australia’s ability to respond to “malicious foreign actors” and serve as a warning to any state seeking to threaten the country through violence or coercion.
“This bill strengthens Australia’s counterterrorism framework, creating an environment in which it is more difficult, more risky, and more costly for foreign actors to cause harm,” she told Parliament.
Under the proposed law, the government would gain the power to list foreign state agencies or entities as state sponsors of terrorism if they are found to have directly or indirectly planned, supported, or financed acts of terrorism against Australia.
Once listed, it would become a criminal offence to collaborate with, fund, or provide material assistance to those entities. Limited exemptions would apply for diplomatic or legal obligations.
The legislation introduces new criminal offences, including preparing or participating in state-sponsored terrorist acts and offering material support to listed state actors. Intelligence and law enforcement agencies would also receive expanded powers to investigate and disrupt suspected state-linked terrorism.
ASIO findings link IRGC to attacks in Australia
The bill comes after a series of actions by Canberra against Tehran. In August, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese expelled Iranian Ambassador Ahmad Sadeghi following ASIO’s conclusion that the IRGC directed two arson attacks on Jewish sites -- one at a kosher restaurant in Sydney and another at a synagogue in Melbourne.
“ASIO has now gathered enough credible intelligence to reach a deeply disturbing conclusion that the Iranian government directed at least two of these attacks. Iran has sought to disguise its involvement,” Albanese said.
He described the incidents as “extraordinary acts of aggression orchestrated by a foreign nation on Australian soil.”
The proposed law would align Australia more closely with allies such as the United States, which designated the IRGC as a terrorist organization in 2019.
The group, established in 1979 after Iran’s Islamic Revolution, reports directly to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and wields significant military, political, and economic influence at home and abroad. Its Quds Force oversees operations that have supported armed groups in Lebanon, Gaza, Yemen, and Syria.
Australia’s move follows its decision last week, along with New Zealand, to implement revived United Nations sanctions on Iran after European powers triggered the snapback mechanism over Tehran’s nuclear program. The sanctions reimposed restrictions on arms, finance, and missile activities.
Canberra has also joined G7 nations in condemning Iran’s repression of dissidents abroad and intimidation of diaspora communities. In September, Australia warned of “transnational repression” targeting journalists and Jewish groups.
Rowland said the latest legislative step reflects Australia’s evolving security environment. “The threats we face are changing,” she said. “This bill ensures that our national security laws remain fit for purpose -- robust, balanced, and capable of protecting all Australians.”
