Iran releases U.S. woman detained during family visit

Iran has released a wrongfully detained American citizen, President Donald Trump said on social media Wednesday. The woman, later identified by her lawyer as Dena Karari, was safely outside of Iran and in good condition, the president said. Trump said he appreciated the gesture of goodwill. Her release occurs while the U.S. military and Iran this week continued to exchange strikes. A preliminary peace agreement between the two countries seemed to fail amid fighting over control of the Strait of Hormuz, a major trade route.

Karari was detained in the country since 2024 on what her lawyer, Jared Genser, described as bogus charges. She was now traveling back to the United States, Genser said. He credited Trump’s efforts as being crucial to her release.

Why was Karari in Iran? She had traveled to Iran to see family when local authorities took her into custody and subjected her to a coercive exit ban, Genser told several news outlets. She was targeted because she ran a nonprofit called Children of Mehr Foundation that supports impoverished children in Iran, he said. The release comes as Karari, age 53, experienced a heart attack last week, Genser said.

Genser, the human rights lawyer known as “the extractor,” specializes in securing the release of people detained only because of who they are or what they believe. He has helped to free over 300 prisoners of conscience from 20 countries over the past two decades, according to a 2023 profile by The Guardian.