An American woman who spent roughly a year and a half wrongfully detained in Iran on espionage allegations has returned to the United States, her attorney said.
Dena Karari, held by Iranian authorities for 566 days on spying charges, arrived in San Francisco with an American flag draped over her shoulders, according to a photo posted Saturday by her human rights lawyer.
“Welcome home Dena Karari from Iran to the land of the free and the home of the brave— after 566 days wrongly detained by the Iranian regime,” attorney Jared Genser wrote on X. “THANK YOU to all who made this day possible, known and unknown. We must now redouble our efforts to get all the other Americans out!”
Karari, an Iranian-American dual national, was taken into custody by Iranian officials in December 2024, the New York Times reported.
According to the outlet, she worked for a U.S. technology company while also operating a charity supporting children in Iran.
Although she was later released from prison, authorities had seized both of her passports, effectively barring her from leaving Iran.
President Trump said Wednesday that Iran had released Karari as a “gesture of goodwill.”
“Iran has allowed an American Citizen, who was wrongfully detained in December of 2024 under the ‘presidency’ of Sleepy Joe Biden, to leave the Country,” he wrote on Truth Social on Wednesday.
“She is now safely outside of Iran, and in good condition,” the president added. “The United States of America appreciates this gesture of Goodwill by Iran!”
