President Donald Trump announced that an American woman, Dena Karari, has been released from Iran after being detained since December 2024. Karari was detained, charged, and released on bail with an exit ban that blocked her from leaving Iran. Her lawyer, Jared Genser, stated that she had been subjected to a coercive exit ban and had been targeted because she operated a non-profit called the Children of Mehr Foundation, which helped impoverished children in Iran.

Background

Karari’s lawyer expressed delight and excitement at her release, thanking Trump and stating that she is now safe and traveling back to the United States. Genser also urged Iran to drop all remaining charges against those who worked locally in support of the Children of Mehr Foundation and to release all wrongly imprisoned Americans and Iranian political prisoners.

The US government was tracking at least six Americans detained in Iran as of last month, including two who had been designated as wrongfully detained. The release of Karari comes as the US military continues to strike Iran.

Original reporting: KEYT (Ventura/Santa Barbara) — read the source article.