Iran releases US citizen Dena Karari, Trump confirms

US citizen Dena Karari, detained in Iran since December 2024 on espionage charges, has been released and is safely out of the country, US President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday. Trump described the release as a "gesture of Goodwill" and thanked Iran Source: scmp. The release comes as the US continues military strikes against Iran Source: theguardian.

The detainee

Karari, a dual US-Iranian citizen, was accused of collaborating with a hostile state and espionage. Her lawyer, Jared Genser, said she was targeted for operating the Children of Mehr Foundation, a charity aiding impoverished children in Iran Source: cnn. She was physically detained briefly, then released on bail but subjected to a "coercive exit ban" that prevented her from leaving. Genser noted she endured "enormous physical and psychological hardship" and was interrogated dozens of times Source: cnn.

Context

• Trump's announcement came shortly after he ordered a resumption of strikes against Iran and a naval blockade of its ports Source: scmp.
• The US government currently tracks at least six Americans detained in Iran, including two designated as wrongfully detained Source: cnn.
• Genser, known as "the extractor," has helped free over 340 prisoners of conscience from 20 countries over the past two decades Source: theguardian.