US citizen Dena Karari, who had been prevented from leaving Iran since December 2024 over allegations that her family and attorney said were baseless, was released overnight Wednesday and left the country on her way back to the United States.
Her attorney, international human rights lawyer Jared Genser, announced that Karari was "now free" and thanked US President Donald Trump for his involvement. "I am beyond excited to report that my client, US citizen Dena Karari, who has been trapped in Iran since December 2024 on bogus charges, is now free," Genser wrote.
"This would not have happened but for the extraordinary and relentless efforts of President Trump. Dena is safe and is now traveling back to the United States," he added.
Trump commented on her release earlier, writing that "Iran has allowed an American citizen, who was wrongfully detained in December of 2024 under the presidency of Joe Biden, to leave the country. She is now safely outside of Iran, and in good condition," Trump said, adding that the United States "appreciates this gesture of goodwill by Iran."
According to CBS News, Karari recently suffered a heart attack while effectively trapped in Iran under an exit ban. She was accused of espionage but was never formally charged under Iranian law and was not imprisoned. Her name was reportedly included on a list of US citizens whose release the American administration had been seeking in talks with Tehran.
CBS reported that at least five other US citizens remain imprisoned in Iran or are prohibited from leaving the country. Two of them, Kamran Hekmati and journalist Reza Valizadeh, have been formally designated by the US State Department as wrongfully detained.
