• Mahdieh Esfandiari sentenced to one year in prison for justifying terrorism online.
• Potentially linked to negotiations for the release of French nationals held in Iran.
• Esfandiari's lawyer plans to appeal the ruling, calling it severe.
• Iran desires to exchange Esfandiari for two French citizens facing espionage charges.
• U.S. and Iranian tensions escalate amid the ongoing nuclear negotiations.

A French court has sentenced Iranian national Mahdieh Esfandiari to one year in prison for promoting terrorism through her online comments, specifically related to the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel. The court's decision also includes a permanent ban from French territory, with the judge emphasizing the severity of her actions, which were linked to a possible prisoner swap involving two French citizens detained in Iran, Cécile Kohler and Jacques Paris, who have been held since 2022, according to Le Monde, BBC, and Anadolu Agency.

Esfandiari's sentence consists of a four-year term with three years suspended as she has already spent about eight months in pretrial detention. Her conviction follows her social media posts, where she described the Hamas attack as an "act of resistance." Iranian officials consider her detention unjust and have expressed interest in a potential exchange for Kohler and Paris once legal matters are resolved in France, according to Le Monde and BBC.

The ongoing legal proceedings surrounding Esfandiari are seen as critical in diplomatic discussions between Tehran and Paris. This comes amid strained relations, with accusations from French authorities that Kohler and Paris are "state hostages." Iran's Foreign Minister has previously stated a deal for an exchange has been negotiated, contingent upon the completion of judicial processes in France. This has heightened the anticipation among the relatives of the detained French nationals, according to Anadolu Agency and BBC.