Accused of espionage by the Iranian regime, Shahab Dalili was imprisoned in 2016 in Iran after attending his father’s funeral.
An Iranian citizen has been released after serving a ten-year prison sentence in Iran and has been able to return to the United States where he holds permanent resident status, the US State Department confirmed on Tuesday, May 19.
“The State Department is pleased with Shahab Dalili’s safe return after his detention in Iran,” the ministry spokesman said in a statement.
“Iran should immediately release all unjustly detained individuals in Iran,” the official continued, adding that President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio “will continue to work towards the release of all unjustly detained Americans.”
Iran and the United States are currently engaged in a conflict that has rocked the Middle East and driven up energy prices. Negotiations for an agreement to end the conflict have been ongoing for weeks, but neither party has accepted the other’s peace proposals.
Imprisoned in 2016
Earlier on Tuesday, the Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) reported that Shahab Dalili, convicted of allegedly “collaborating with a hostile government,” had gone to Erevan, the capital of Armenia, after his release from Iran before returning to Washington “where he is now safe and reunited with his family.” The exact date of his release was not specified.
Shahab Dalili was imprisoned in 2016 in Iran after attending his father’s funeral. He was arrested while trying to leave the country, the US-based NGO reported. Accused of espionage, which he denied, the Iranian was sentenced to 10 years in prison.
In 2023, the detainee and his son Darian, residing in the United States, went on a simultaneous hunger strike to secure a release. At the time, the non-US citizen prisoner was not included in a detainee exchange agreement between the US and Iran.
