Mohsen Rafighdoust, the first IRGC minister, has claimed that Iran possesses hostages from major world powers.

In an interview in local media, he said in the event of an attack on Iran, “the Islamic Republic has the capability to eliminate the hostages within a mere half-hour.”

While he has no current official role, and Iranian officials may deny or distance themselves from his remarks. Iran has recently exchanged five US hostages in exchange for the release of $6bn of frozen Iranian funds in South Korea. However, the regime consistently claims that it does not take or hold hostages.

It is unknown how many diplomatic hostages are being held in Iran but high profile cases have revealed the systematic policy of the regime to detain dual-nationals in return for political leverage.

In a related development, an Iranian court on Wednesday sentenced French national Louis Arnaud to a five-year prison term. Arnaud, who has been detained since September 2022 and faced trial on national security charges, was convicted in a Revolutionary Court on charges of “promoting propaganda against and attempting to undermine the security of the Islamic Republic.”

The Arnaud family strongly contests the charges, asserting his innocence and condemning the verdict as a violation of human rights and individual freedoms.

Louis Arnaud's family described him as a “passionate traveler” who had longed to visit Iran, only for his dream to turn into a nightmare as he was unjustly targeted, imprisoned, and now convicted on what they deem “baseless charges.” They maintain that he had no political intentions during his time in Iran and had distanced himself from the social movements that erupted in September 2022.