France warns against ignoring Iran travel advice following teenager’s disappearance
‘If we often strongly advise against travelling to certain countries, it is precisely so as not to find ourselves at risk’, French minister says
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French authorities have warned its citizens to take government travel advice seriously after a French teenager went missing in Iran.
Lennart Monterlos, an 18-year-old French-German citizen was on a bicycle journey across Europe and Asia on his way to Japan when he disappeared in Iran.
“Since Monday, 16 June, we haven’t had any news from him,” a missing poster created by his friends on Instagram said.
France urges its citizens to avoid travel to Iran and has done so since mid-April. The minister for French nationals abroad, Laurent Saint-Martin, told RTL on Monday that the teenager’s disappearance was “worrying”.
"It is worrying because Iran has a deliberate policy of taking Western hostages," he added.
"I can assure you that consular protection is the right of every French citizen (...) in a foreign country. But (...) if we often strongly advise against travelling to certain countries, it is precisely so as not to find ourselves at risk."
However, Mr Saint-Martin did not say specifically that the Iranian authorities were holding the man, who went missing a few days after Israeli planes struck targets in Iran.
Mr Monterlos documented his travels on his social media page, sharing his impression of each country he visited.
He reached Tehran back in December, but flew back to France to spend Christmas with family, before returning once again to the country, landing in Varzaneh on 24 May, Le Parisien reported.
He journeyed through the country to Yazd, Abarkuh, and then Shiraz on 3 June.
In an Instagram post, local media said the traveller jokingly mocked the travel recommendations given by the French government, listing off reasons why you shouldn’t visit.
"The weather is bad all the time," he said, with a bright blue sky in the background.
"Architecturally speaking, you won't see anything beautiful except historical monuments that will dazzle your eyes," he also jokes.
In early June, Mr Monterlos wrote on his social media that his visa would expire later on in the month. “I still have to leave the south for the north, and on June 25 I will be in Afghanistan,” he wrote.
After Afghanistan, he planned to continue his journey to China, making a few detours to other Southeast Asian countries, before finally reaching Japan.
A statement on the French Diplomacy website says: “We are in contact with the Iranian authorities on the subject of our citizen’s disappearance.
“His disappearance is troubling and we are in touch with his family. Once again, we urge all French citizens to avoid travel to Iran.”
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