Dena Karari, a US-Iranian dual citizen and California resident, has been released from Iran after 18 months of detention, President Trump announced Wednesday. Karari had been barred from leaving Iran since December 2024 when her passport was seized while she visited relatives in the southwestern city of Shiraz.
Karari was never physically imprisoned but faced an exit ban and charges of espionage and collaboration with a hostile state—allegations her attorney, Jared Genser, called “bogus.” Iranian authorities accused her of espionage related to her work operating the Children of Mehr Foundation, a US-registered nonprofit that provided aid to impoverished children in Iran through private donations.
“While subject to a coercive exit ban, she was interrogated dozens of times by Iran’s notorious Ministry of Intelligence and Security and although never physically detained, she suffered enormous physical and psychological hardship,” Genser said in a statement. According to CBS News, Karari suffered a heart attack on July 8, 2026.
Trump described the release as a “gesture of goodwill” by Iran and stated that Karari “is now safely outside of Iran, and in good condition.” Genser announced that his client is “safe and traveling back to the United States.” The State Department did not comment on the situation, though two sources told CBS News that Karari’s name appeared on a list of Americans the State Department had provided to US special envoy Steve Witkoff, who is leading US-Iran diplomacy, to press for her release.
Iran’s Practice of Detaining Dual Citizens
Karari’s case reflects what the New York Times described as Iran’s “long-held practice of apprehending dual citizens to use as political pawns.” The release comes amid escalating military tensions between the US and Iran, with Trump having ordered resumed strikes against Iran and reimposed a naval blockade of its ports in recent days.
The release of Karari marks the first known American freed from Iranian custody since September 2023, when five Americans were released as part of a prisoner-exchange deal in which the US unfroze $6 billion in Iranian assets. Several other Americans remain imprisoned in Iran, including journalist Reza Valizadeh and Kamran Hekmati, both of whom have been legally designated as wrongfully detained by the State Department.
Genser called on Iran to release all remaining “wrongly imprisoned Americans and those subjected to coercive exit bans and all Iranian political prisoners.” The release occurred even though the memorandum of understanding signed by the US and Iran in June, which aimed at ending Middle East conflicts and extended a 60-day ceasefire, did not include provisions for releasing detained Americans.
Sources
- CBS News — Karari’s departure from Iran, exit ban details, heart attack on July 8, State Department list provided to Witkoff
- The Straits Times — Karari’s work with Children of Mehr Foundation, interrogation by Ministry of Intelligence and Security, her suffering under the exit ban
- Fox News — Release described as first known American freed from Iranian custody since September 2023
- The New York Times — Iran’s practice of apprehending dual citizens as political pawns, Karari’s age (53) and California residency
