Iran has released five U.S. dual national citizens jailed under national security laws into house arrest, U.S. officials and agencies said on Friday. This was confirmed by the Iranian Mission to the United Nations.
The five men, Siamak Namazi, Emad Shargi, and Morad Tahbaz alongside a fourth man who remained unidentified were released by Tehran, a lawyer for one of the men said. The fifth prisoner who also remained anonymous had already been released earlier, a U.S. national security official added.
Talks had taken place between Tehran and Washington to secure the release of the five men, mediated by a "third country" which remained unknown. While the White House offered no details on what had been proffered to secure their release, the Iranian mission to the UN did. Iran told media in its release that frozen state funds in South Korea would now be unblocked and transferred to Qatar, Reuters reported based on the state news agency IRNA release. Previous U.S. media reports put the value of the frozen funds in South Korea at around $6 billion.
Iran has detained and imprisoned a number of dual citizens in recent years, usually under national security charges. 51-year-old Siamak Namazi was first arrested in 2015 and imprisoned under security charges. Morad Tahbaz, a wildlife conservationist who also holds a British passport was first arrested during a crackdown on environmental activists in January 2018.
Following his release, Mr Namazi's brother Babak told the press, "While this is a positive change, we will not rest until Siamak and others are back home; we continue to count the days until this can happen."
National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson backed up the families of the citizens, noting that while it was an encouraging step, the men should have never been detained in the first place. She reassured the families, saying, "Of course, we will not rest until they are all back home in the United States". State Department spokesman added that two of the five wished to remain private, but the government was in touch with their families.
