Police rescued two hostages and arrested a man at a small business in central Paris on Tuesday after he demanded to be put in touch with the Iranian Embassy to deliver a message to the French government, authorities said.

"The individual has been arrested and the hostages are out of danger," Interior Minister Gerard Collomb said on Twitter.

There were no immediate details on the age, appearance or nationality of the hostage taker. "His demands were really vague and incoherent," said an interior ministry official. "The negotiator had difficulty understanding."

Police had sealed off streets near the scene in the 10th arrondissement to negotiate with the hostage-taker, Yves Lefebvre, a police union spokesman, said earlier.

Two people — a man and pregnant woman —were taken hostage around 4pm local time, French media reported. The man suffered a black eye after being struck in the face, according to the reports.