Kenneth Glad
Her departure follows months of questioning, travel restrictions and uncertainty over her legal status. The case has also drawn attention to other United States citizens facing imprisonment or movement controls in the country.
President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social that Dena Karari, a dual U.S.-Iranian citizen, had safely left Iran after authorities prevented her from departing for about 18 months.
Trump described Karari as “wrongfully detained” and thanked Iran for what he called a goodwill gesture. In the same post, he took a partisan swipe at former President Joe Biden, saying the case began under the “presidency” of “Sleepy Joe Biden.”
Her attorney, Jared Genser, said Karari was never physically imprisoned but was repeatedly interrogated and subjected to what he called a coercive exit ban.
Conflicting legal accounts
According to CNN, Karari traveled to Iran to visit relatives. Genser said officials seized her U.S. and Iranian passports when she later tried to leave and questioned her repeatedly over alleged espionage and cooperation with a hostile state.
The network reported conflicting descriptions of her legal position. A source familiar with the case said she had been charged, released on bail and placed under an exit ban. Genser said she was accused but never formally charged.
An exit ban can prevent someone from crossing the border without requiring continued imprisonment. Genser linked the scrutiny to Karari’s work with the Children of Mehr Foundation, which assists disadvantaged children in Iran.
Health concerns grew
Genser furthermore told CNN that Karari recently suffered a major heart attack. Given the military confrontation between the United States and Iran, he described her successful departure as “a minor miracle.”
He said the foundation operated under a license issued by the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control.
According to CNN, Karari recovered her passports after the travel restriction expired in April, but an earlier attempt to leave was blocked. Her case was subsequently raised with U.S. officials involved in contacts with Tehran.
Other cases remain
CNN writes that U.S. officials were monitoring at least six cases involving Americans in Iran.
Reza Valizadeh and Kamran Hekmati are among those formally designated as wrongfully detained.
Genser called on Iran to release other imprisoned Americans, people facing coercive exit bans and Iranian political prisoners.
Sources: Donald Trump’s post on Truth Social; CNN
