Key facts
- President Donald Trump announced Iran freed a detained American woman, Dena Karari.
- Karari was detained in December 2024 and charged with espionage following U.S. strikes on Iran in 2025.
- Karari is a dual American and Iranian citizen and a resident of California.
- Iran's judiciary denied that any American prisoner had been released or exchanged from its prisons.
U.S. President Donald Trump announced that Iran had freed an American citizen, Dena Karari, who had been detained since December 2024. Trump described the release as a "gesture of goodwill" amid ongoing conflict in the Middle East and escalating threats from the U.S. toward Iran. Karari, a dual American and Iranian citizen and resident of California, was reportedly charged with espionage following U.S. strikes on Iran in 2025. Her passport was seized in December 2024 when visiting relatives in Shiraz, and she was interrogated by authorities. However, Iran's judiciary denied that any American prisoner had been released or exchanged from its prisons, according to Iranian state media.