France, April 8 -- The couple landed in Paris Charles de Gaulle airport shortly before 9am after travelling via Azerbaijan under diplomatic escort.

Speaking after meeting President Emmanuel Macron at the Elysee Palace, Kohler said: "We are relieved to see our loved ones again. It was an immense joy to hold them in our arms.

"We want to express our gratitude to our families who fought from the very beginning to get us out of that hell. Even strangers fought for us across France," she added, thanking state services.

Kohler said she had "lived daily horror" during her detention in Iran.

Paris said they had been held in "very difficult conditions", describing "inhumane conditions of detention".

"One of the aims was probably to break...