Iran releases French national arrested for illegal entry

Iran has released a French citizen arrested for entering the country illegally, official news agency IRNA reported on Sunday.

"A French national who had been arrested for unauthorised entry into Iran has been released in recent days as the legal proceedings took their course and other charges were dropped," foreign ministry spokesman Bahram Ghasemi told IRNA.

IRNA did not give the French national's name or gender.

A French diplomatic source said the person released was Nelly Erin-Cambervelle, a 59-year-old businesswoman from Martinique, whose case was raised earlier this week by Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian. 

The source said Erin-Cambervelle left Iran on Sunday. 

Le Drian said on Wednesday that Paris was in touch with Tehran to improve the conditions of the businesswoman arrested in October on the Gulf island of Kish for unauthorised entry and allegedly signing an illegal mining contract.

Erin-Cambervelle had been on the island as part of her import-export business, according to Le Drian.

"She went to Kish island, not far from Dubai, which is considered to be Iranian territory. She was arrested ... on the grounds of having signed an illegal contract and carrying out a non-authorised trip," he said.