BREAKING: Tipperary man imprisoned in Iranian prison for past six months finally released

Tipperary man Bernard Phelan who has been detained in a prison in Iran for over six months has been released.

The Iranian Embassy in Dublin has said that Clonmel native has been pardoned and freed after he was arrested last October while travelling in Iran as a tourism consultant.

64-year-old Phelan, who has dual French and Irish nationality, was initially sentenced to three and a half years in prison in relation to “providing information to an enemy country”.

Following a later court hearing, his sentence was extended to six and a half years, with no explanation as to why his sentence was increased.

There had been great concern from the Clonmel man's family over his poor health while in the prison,  as Mr Phelan has a number of health issues including a heart condition and a chronic bone issue.

In March last , his sister Caroline Masse Phelan revealed her brother was going blind following an operation he had last summer which he received inadequate treatment for, and she also said her brother had begun to suffer from depression due to the length of time he had spent in jail, unable to see a way out.

The Iranian embassy in Ireland stated that Phelan’s release was due to amnesty for humanitarian reasons and for showing goodwill in diplomatic relations between Iran and Ireland.