Olivier Grondou: The Islamic Republic of Iran has been running a hostage-taking business since 1979.
Olivier Grondou, a French citizen who was detained in Iran in 2022, criticized the Islamic Republic’s hostage-taking business in a video posted in Persian on his Instagram account on Sunday, July 13. He referred to the detention of a French-German citizen and two British citizens in Iran.
He emphasized the hostage-takings that have occurred in Iran since 1979, addressed the Minister of Intelligence of the Islamic Republic, and mentioned his own experiences of torture and threats. He stated that the Islamic Republic accuses its hostages of spying for Israel and collaborating with Mossad, forcing them to confess under threat.
Olivier Grondou, who was arrested in Shiraz in the fall of 2022 and sentenced to five years in prison on charges of conspiracy against the Islamic Republic, was released on March 20, 2025.
Lenar Montrelos, a young French-German cyclist, has been detained since June 16.
Lindsay and Craig Foreman, both 52 years old, who entered Iran by land, were arrested in the city of Kerman in January 2025.