French court sentences Iranian woman to jail for justifying terrorism

A French court on Thursday sentenced Iranian national Mahdieh Esfandiari to one year in prison for justifying terrorism in a case linked to a possible prisoner swap with two French citizens held in Iran.

Esfandiari, 39, was also handed a permanent ban from French territory, according to an AFP journalist present at the court.

Observers see Esfandiari as a potential bargaining chip in negotiations with Tehran for the release of French nationals Cecile Kohler and Jacques Paris, who are detained in Iran.