(BRUSSELS) - The French EU presidency on Wednesday called on Iran to release two doctors, known for their pioneering work on HIV/AIDS, who were "arbitrarily arrested" in June.

"The presidency of the European Union Council calls on the Iranian authorities to free (brothers) Arash and Kamiar Alaei and to drop all charges against them," the presidency said in a statement.

An Iranian newspaper reported Sunday that the authorities had launched an inquiry into the actions of the detained pair over claims they were plotting a "velvet revolution".

"A case has been filed whose defendants are two brothers. They held conferences on such topics as AIDS, which drew the attention of domestic and foreign organisations and NGOs," Tehran's deputy prosecutor Hassan Haddad was quoted as saying by the reformist Etemad newspaper.

"The Iranian authorities accused the Alaei brothers in a serious manner of activities to destabilise the Islamic Republic," the EU's presidency, held by France until the end of the year, said in a statement.

"They are internationally known for their work in the prevention and the treatment of AIDS in Iran," it added.

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