Washington D.C. – NY Times, July 15, 2026
Iran has released a dual Iranian American citizen who had been charged with espionage and barred from leaving the country for over a year pending a trial, according to President Trump and her lawyer on Wednesday.
The woman, Dena Karari, 53, and a resident of California, had her passport seized as she visited relatives in the southwestern city of Shiraz in December 2024. While she was not detained, she was interrogated on various occasions by the authorities, according to her lawyer, Jared Genser.
On Wednesday, she was en route back to the United States, Mr. Genser said.
“Dena is now free and out of Iran and on her way back to the United States,” Mr. Genser said. “This would not have happened but for the extraordinary and relentless efforts of President Trump.”
President Trump first announced the news in a social media post, praising the act of “goodwill” by Iran, even as the war with the United States approaches its fifth month. “She is now safely outside of Iran, and in good condition,” he said in the post. “The United States of America appreciates this gesture of Goodwill by Iran!”
Mr. Genser said that Ms. Karari was caught up in Iran’s long-held practice of apprehending dual citizens to use as political pawns.
