US Citizen Imprisoned In Iran On Espionage Charges Allowed To Leave Prison For A Week

An Iranian-American imprisoned in Iran for the last seven years has been allowed a one-week furlough out of Tehran's Evin prison, his lawyer said on Saturday.

What Happened: Siamak Namazi was imprisoned under espionage charges in 2016, which Washington has rejected as baseless, reported Reuters.

Namazi’s father, a former United Nations official Baquer Namazi — who was also convicted on charges of "collaboration with a hostile government" — has separately been allowed to leave Iran for medical treatment, according to U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric.

See Also: Day After Biden's Gaffe, VP Harris Hails 'Important Relationship' With Kim Jong Un's North Korea

According to Iran's Nournews, an unidentified regional nation mediated between Iran and the U.S. for the "simultaneous release of prisoners."

The Iranian news report also noted that "billions of dollars of Iran's frozen assets because of the U.S. sanctions will be released soon."

However, White House National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson denied the report and said, "reports from Iranian sources of a transfer of funds related to the release of Baquer Namazi and furlough of Siamak Namazi are categorically false." 

Check out more of Benzinga's Europe and Asia coverage by following this link.

Market News and Data brought to you by Benzinga APIs
Comments
Loading...
Posted In: NewsPoliticsGlobalGeneralEurasiaIranUnited NationsUnited StatesWhite House
Benzinga simplifies the market for smarter investing

Trade confidently with insights and alerts from analyst ratings, free reports and breaking news that affects the stocks you care about.

Join Now: Free!