"Open and without prejudice": what do we know about Lennart Monterlos, the 18-year-old Frenchman who has been missing in Iran since June 16, after he mocked the recommendations of the Quai d'Orsay concerning tourism in the country?
Lennart Monterlos, who was passing through Iran during a worldwide cycling trip, has not been heard from since June 16. Here's what we know about this disappearance, which the Quai d'Orsay has deemed "worrying."
"Open and without prejudice": what do we know about Lennart Monterlos, the 18-year-old Frenchman who has been missing in Iran since June 16, after he mocked the Quai d'Orsay's recommendations regarding tourism in the country ? https://t.co/PboQj7MlNh pic.twitter.com/azuHfzxu90
— Fdesouche.com is a press review (@F_Desouche) July 7, 2025
Arrest? Accident? French diplomacy seems unsure of the fate of the young man, who disappeared just as Israel began bombing Iranian nuclear sites, a few days before the US strikes. In any case, this disappearance is "worrying because Iran has a deliberate policy of taking Westerners hostage," "a deliberate policy," Laurent Saint-Martin, the minister responsible for French citizens abroad, declared Monday morning on RTL.
Iran "targets French nationals passing through, accusing them of espionage and holding them in appalling conditions, some of which fall under the international law definition of torture," a French diplomatic source had already denounced on Sunday, citing the example of Cécile Kohler and Jacques Paris, who have been detained in Iran for more than three years.
Is Lennart Monterlos one of the Europeans recently arrested in Iran and accused of spying for Israel? This question remains unanswered for now.
Fdesouche
