Iran: Bernard Phelan pardoned and released from prison

Mr Phelan was held in Vakilabad Prison, Mashhad, where conditions were reported as being cramped, with 16 people sharing a cell amid freezing night-time temperatures.

It is understood some of those in Mr Phelan’s cell block had been executed during his stay.

In a statement, the Iranian embassy in Ireland said Mr Phelan had been indicted and later sentenced “for infringing local laws and disregarding imperatives of national security in Iran”.

It said that since his arrest and throughout the judicial process “he enjoyed all consular, legal and personal protections, including medical services in a standard prison”.

It added that “to maintain necessary security of its own people and the safety of millions of its visitors, Iran has taken apposite measures in the face of recent threats and challenges posed to it by recent incidents of foreign-sponsored sabotage, assassination and terrorist attacks on innocent people”.

It also said it was unfortunate “that many media outlets and pressure groups spared no effort to politicise Mr Phelan’s case and try to derail it from its judicial and consular tracks by ill-framing the case and smearing the image” of Iran.