Iran is holding a teenage French-German cyclist in custody

PARIS — Iran 's foreign minister says his country has detained a teenage French-German cyclist who disappeared last month for "an offense'' that he didn't detail, French newspaper Le Monde reported Friday. France's prime minister also confirmed the arrest.

The cyclist, Lennart Monterlos, ''was detained for having committed an offense," the newspaper quoted Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi as having said in an interview on Thursday. Araghchi did not elaborate on the nature of the alleged offense but said France's embassy in Tehran has been notified, the newspaper added.

It said 18-year-old Monterlos was cycling across Iran and has not been heard from since mid-June.

''The arrest of this young man ... is confirmed," French Prime Minister François Bayrou said.

Speaking Thursday evening to French broadcaster LCI, he added: ''We are not talking further about it to not create difficulty for or imperil the outcome of this affair.''

France's Foreign Ministry said that it is in contact with Iranian authorities about ''the situation of our national'' and also with the family.

The ministry said it had no other comment, citing concerns for Monterlos' security. It reiterated previous warnings that French nationals should not travel to Iran.

German Foreign Ministry spokesperson Kathrin Deschauer told reporters in Berlin that the ministry is aware of the case but would not comment beyond that. Germany also warns its citizens against travel to Iran

Monterlos is the third French national known to be detained in Iran, which is accused by France of practicing hostage diplomacy.

Two others, Cécile Kohler and Jacques Paris, have been held in Iran for more than three years in prison conditions that France likens to torture and on charges that Paris says are without foundation.

''Iran practices a deliberate policy of state hostages,'' the French Foreign Ministry said this week. ''All French nationals who find themselves there expose themselves to a risk of arrest and arbitrary detention, including tourists, for the sole reason of having French nationality.''

Kohler, 40, and her partner Paris, 72, were arrested in May 2022 and until last month were detained at Tehran's Evin Prison, known for holding dual nationals and Westerners who are used by Iran as bargaining chips in diplomatic negotiations.

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AP journalist Geir Moulson in Berlin contributed to this report.