According to President Trump and legal counsel, Iran has released a dual Iranian-American citizen who had been facing espionage charges and was prohibited from leaving the country for over a year while awaiting trial.
Dena Karari, a 53-year-old California resident, had her passport confiscated while visiting relatives in the city of Shiraz in December 2024. Although she was not formally detained, her lawyer, Jared Genser, noted that she underwent multiple interrogations by Iranian authorities.
As of Wednesday, Ms. Karari was en route back to the United States, Mr. Genser confirmed.
“Dena is now free and out of Iran and on her way back to the United States,” Mr. Genser stated. “This would not have happened but for the extraordinary and relentless efforts of President Trump.”
President Trump announced the development via social media, describing the release as an act of “goodwill” despite the ongoing conflict between the United States and Iran. “She is now safely outside of Iran, and in good condition,” he posted. “The United States of America appreciates this gesture of Goodwill by Iran!”
Mr. Genser suggested that Ms. Karari fell victim to Iran’s systemic practice of detaining dual citizens for political leverage.
While she was not incarcerated, she faced repeated questioning by the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence and was charged with collaborating with a hostile state. Her legal scrutiny intensified following the June 2025 conflict involving Iran, Israel, and the United States, according to Mr. Genser. In Iran, espionage carries severe penalties, including long-term imprisonment or the death penalty.
It remains unclear whether Ms. Karari’s release was part of a reciprocal prisoner exchange. In 2023, the Biden administration reached an agreement to release five American prisoners in exchange for a hostage swap and the release of $6 billion in frozen Iranian assets.
It is currently unknown if Ms. Karari’s case was addressed during recent peace negotiations between the U.S. and Iran. The office of Steve Witkoff, the President’s special envoy involved in negotiations, has not commented, and Iranian representatives at the United Nations declined to provide a statement.
At least three other Americans remain in Iranian custody—one woman and two men—according to their families, legal representatives, and the nonprofit organization Hostage Aid Worldwide.
Kamran Hekmati, a 70-year-old Iranian-American jeweler, has been held in Tehran’s Evin prison since May 2025. His family reports he was sentenced to two years in prison for traveling to Israel to attend his son’s bar mitzvah.
Additionally, journalist Reza Valizadeh is serving a 10-year sentence in Evin prison on charges of collaborating with a hostile government, according to his lawyer. Mr. Valizadeh is a former employee of Radio Farda, a Persian-language outlet under the State Department-funded Radio Free Europe.
Two of the four Americans currently detained were reportedly arrested by security agents following the Israeli attacks on Iran in June 2025, according to the Human Rights Activists News Agency and the Washington DC-based group Hengaw. The fourth detainee is a woman from California whose identity has not been disclosed.
The State Department has historically declined to comment on specific cases involving Americans held in Iran due to security and privacy concerns.
“Of course, there are other Americans still detained in Iran, including Kamran Hekmati and Reza Valizadeh, but I believe today’s news is a positive sign that President Trump knows about them all and will fulfill his promise to bring them all home,” said Neda Sharghi, a board member of The Foley Foundation and sister of former detainee Emad Sharghi.
Ms. Karari’s family and friends expressed immense relief. They had campaigned for her release for two years, facing renewed anxiety when war broke out between Iran, the U.S., and Israel in February. According to Mr. Genser, Ms. Karari worked for Palo Alto Networks and founded the Children of Mehr Foundation, a nonprofit supporting impoverished children in Iran.
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