DUBAI: Iranian state television aired a video on Thursday in which two French citizens detained for 鈥渟pying鈥� in Iran in May appeared to confess to acting on behalf of a French security service, amid weeks of unrest that Tehran has linked to foreign foes.
France鈥檚 Foreign Ministry accused Iran of the practices of the 鈥渨orst dictatorial regimes鈥� over the video confessions and categorically denied that the two were members of the French intelligence services.
Iran鈥檚 intelligence ministry said in May it had arrested two Europeans for allegedly fomenting 鈥渋nsecurity鈥� in Iran. France has condemned and demanded immediate release of Cecile Kohler and her partner Jacques Paris.
鈥淚 am Cecile Kohler, I am an intelligence and operations agent at the DGSE (Directorate General for External Security) ... We were in Iran to prepare the ground for the revolution and the overthrow of the regime of Islamic Iran,鈥� Kohler said in the video, while wearing a headscarf.
State TV said the two French citizens had entered Iran with 鈥渃hunks of money ... which was meant to fund strikes and demonstrations.鈥�
鈥淥ur goal at the French security service is to pressure the government of Iran,鈥� said Paris in the video.
In May, state TV aired a video of the couple saying they traveled to Iran as tourists 鈥渂ut they took part in anti-government protests and met members of the so-called Teachers鈥� Association,鈥� referring to protests by Iranian teachers across the country demanding better wages and working conditions.
The 鈥渃onfession鈥� coincides with weeks of anti-government protests in Iran over the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in police custody last month.
The nationwide protests have received wide international support, prompting Tehran to lash out at its critics by accusing the United States and Israel of exploiting the unrest to try to destabilize the Islamic Republic.