Iran allows detained U.S.-Iranian citizen Dena Karari to leave country

Iran allowed Dena Karari, a dual U.S.-Iranian citizen, to leave the country after she had been trapped there since December 2024 under a coercive exit ban. Donald Trump announced that a wrongfully detained American citizen had been permitted to depart Iran and said she was now safely outside the country and in good condition, framing the move as a “gesture of goodwill.”

Jared Genser, the lawyer handling Karari’s case, identified her as his client and said she was safe and traveling back to the United States. In a post on X, Genser wrote, “I am delighted and excited to report that my client U.S. citizen #DenaKarari, who had been trapped in #Iran since December 2024 on bogus charges is now free.” Genser credited Trump’s efforts for the release.

Karari had traveled to Shiraz to visit family and then lost the ability to leave. Her passports were confiscated, she was later charged, and authorities barred her from departing the country. Genser said Iranian officials targeted her because of her work with the Children of Mehr Foundation, a nonprofit that helped impoverished children in Iran through private donations and an OFAC license. She was interrogated dozens of times by Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security and suffered severe physical and psychological hardship, though Genser said she was never physically detained.

Karari faced charges of collaboration with a hostile state and espionage, allegations Genser called bogus. The release also came as the United States and Iran were again locked in heightened confrontation, with fresh U.S. strikes on Iran and a broader Trump administration campaign of pressure against Tehran.

The State Department designated Iran a State Sponsor of Wrongful Detention in February 2026. U.S. officials said at least six Americans were known to be detained in Iran last month, with two believed to be wrongfully held.