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Two French nationals arrived in Paris<\/a> on Wednesday after spending more than three years<\/a> in an Iranian<\/a> prison on espionage<\/a> charges, a source familiar with the case said.<\/p>\n Cecile Kohler, 41, and Jacques Paris, 72, arrived on a commercial flight, landing at Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris shortly before 9:00am (0700 GMT).<\/p>\n They were met on the tarmac by foreign ministry officials and were due to meet President Emmanuel Macron<\/a> at the Elys\u00e9e Palace, the source said.<\/p>\n The pair had been under house arrest at the French embassy in Tehran ever since being freed in November, with their fate even more uncertain after US-Israeli strikes on Iran started on February 28<\/a>.<\/p>\n Read more<\/span>France condemns Iran over ‘arbitrary’ jail terms for two detained nationals<\/a><\/p>\n “This marks the end of a terrible ordeal lasting three and a half years,” Macron said at a meeting of top defence and security officials on Wednesday morning.<\/p>\n “We are absolutely delighted that they have arrived on French soil,” he said, once again thanking Oman for its mediation efforts.<\/p>\n An Iranian diplomatic source welcomed the news on Wednesday.<\/p>\n “The ceasefire announced in Iran and the return of the two French nationals is a double cause for satisfaction,” the source said.<\/p>\n Officials and their supporters celebrated the return.<\/p>\n “We are waiting for their return to France so we can give them a big hug,” Anne-Laure Paris, Paris’s daughter, told AFP on Tuesday.<\/p>\n The pair left Iran early Tuesday in a diplomatic convoy with the French ambassador and arrived in Azerbaijan<\/a>‘s capital Baku later in the day.<\/p>\n They departed after US President Donald Trump<\/a> on Monday warned of widespread strikes on civilian infrastructure<\/a> once a deadline he issued for the Islamic republic to reopen the vital Strait of Hormuz<\/a> had expired.<\/p>\n Trump said on Tuesday he was suspending bombing of Iran for two weeks<\/a>.<\/p>\n Trump warns a ‘whole civilization will die tonight’ if a deal with Iran isn’t reached<\/p>\n‘Current situation’<\/h2>\n