Amid Middle East Conflict, U.S. Permanent Resident Held in Iran for 10 Years Is Released and Returns to U.S.

(CNA Washington, 19th, Comprehensive Foreign Report) The U.S. State Department confirmed today that an Iranian citizen holding U.S. permanent residency (a green card) has been released from an Iranian prison and has returned to the United States. According to Agence France-Presse, a State Department spokesperson noted in a statement: "The State Department is pleased to welcome Shahab Dalili's return to the United States and safety following the end of his detention in Iran." The spokesperson said, "Iran should immediately release all individuals wrongfully detained in Iran," adding that U.S. President Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio will continue to work for the release of all wrongfully detained Americans. The United States and Iran are engaged in a war, causing instability in the Middle East and driving up energy prices. Negotiations between the U.S. and Iran for an agreement to end the conflict have been ongoing for weeks, but to date, neither side has accepted the other's peace proposals. The Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) reported earlier today that "Dalili, an Iranian citizen and U.S. permanent resident, previously detained in Evin Prison, was released after serving a 10-year sentence and has returned to the United States." According to HRANA, Dalili was sentenced for allegedly "cooperating with a hostile government." After his release, he traveled from Iran to Yerevan, the capital of Armenia, before returning to Washington. He has now been safely reunited with his family. However, the report did not specify the exact date of his return. Dalili was arrested and imprisoned in 2016 when he returned to Iran for his father's funeral and has always strongly denied the charges against him. In 2023, he and his son went on a hunger strike because he was not included in a prisoner swap deal for the release of U.S. citizens. In that deal, the U.S. approved the transfer of $6 billion in Iranian funds frozen in South Korea and released five Iranians, leading to Iran's release of five detained U.S. citizens in 2023.