President Donald Trump announced that Iran has released Dena Karari, a dual US-Iranian citizen who had been detained since December 2024, describing her freedom as a "gesture of goodwill" by the Iranian government amid renewed tensions between Washington and Tehran.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said the American citizen had been "wrongfully detained" and was now "safely outside of Iran, and in good condition". While Trump did not identify her by name, her human rights lawyer, Jared Genser, confirmed that the released detainee was Dena Karari.
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“She is now safely outside of Iran, and in good condition,” Trump wrote. “The United States of America appreciates this gesture of goodwill by Iran!” he added.
Karari had travelled to Iran in 2024 to visit family but was prevented from leaving the country. Her detention escalated after the joint US and Israeli military strikes on Iran in 2025, when Iranian authorities formally charged her with espionage.
Before her detention, Karari worked for an American technology company and also ran a charity supporting underprivileged children in Iran. Her lawyer, Jared Genser, thanked Trump and everyone involved in the diplomatic efforts that secured her release, adding that Karari was on her way back to the United States.
The announcement came at a time of heightened geopolitical tensions between the United States and Iran. On the same day that Trump confirmed Karari's release, the US resumed military operations against Iran, while American forces continued enforcing a naval blockade in the strategically important Strait of Hormuz.
Despite the deteriorating security situation, Trump described Karari's release as a positive humanitarian development and thanked the Iranian government for facilitating her departure.
Over the last 20 years, human rights lawyer Jared Genser has freed more than 340 prisoners of conscience from 20 different countries. It's no wonder a 2023 Guardian profile nicknamed him "the extractor".
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