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.

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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." 

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