Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi holds a telephone conversation with Mahdieh Esfandiari, an Iranian national recently released from detention in France.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry says it will continue to pursue Esfandiari's full freedom.

Here are Press TV's latest top stories at 02:00 GMT on October 21, 2025.

Mahdieh Esfandiari, an Iranian academic illegally imprisoned in France over pro-Palestine social media posts, has been put in a prisoner exchange plan.

France’s unlawful detention of Iranian academic Mahdieh Esfandiari, jailed for 226 days now, exposes hypocrisy and double standards, and represents a case of political hostage-taking.

This episode centers on the struggles faced by Mahdia Esfandiarie, an academic who was snatched up for posting pro-Palestinian material on social media.

Iranian academic Mahdieh Esfandiari was arrested exactly 200 days ago in France without a warrant, denied rights, subjected to torture, and used as leverage by Paris in a political prisoner-swap.