Get you up to speed: U.S. citizen departs Iran after being barred from leaving for over a year
Dena Karari, a U.S.-Iran dual citizen alleged to have collaborated with a hostile state, has departed Iran where she had been under an exit ban since December 2024. Her attorney confirmed that she is “safe and travelling back to the United States.”
Dena Karari’s exit ban from Iran had lapsed in April 2024, but she remained unable to leave until recently due to the refusal of Iranian authorities. There are ongoing concerns regarding the status of several other Americans detained in Iran, two of whom have been officially classified as wrongfully detained by the U.S. State Department.
Dena Karari, a U.S.-Iran dual citizen, has departed Iran following intervention from U.S. officials, with President Trump acknowledging her release as a “gesture of goodwill by Iran.” The U.S. State Department’s latest position remains unchanged, as several Americans continue to be imprisoned in Iran, despite the recent extension of a ceasefire agreement.
What remains unclear — The circumstances surrounding Dena Karari’s exit ban and her heart attack remain undisclosed.
U.S. dual citizen leaves Iran after over a year of exit ban
A U.S.-Iran dual citizen who was trapped in Iran on allegations of espionage and collaborating with a hostile state has departed the country, WTX US News learned Wednesday.
The woman, Dena Karari, had been unable to leave Iran since December 2024 due to “bogus charges,” her attorney, Jared Genser, wrote on social media. Genser announced late Wednesday that Karari is now free, writing that she is “safe and traveling back to the United States.”
Karari was under an exit ban, which means that Iranian authorities refused to let her leave, but did not have her imprisoned.
She was never formally charged by Iran. Although her coercive exit ban expired in April, Iran did not allow her to exit at the time.
She suffered a heart attack on July 8, two sources told WTX US News.
Two sources said Karari’s name was on a list of Americans that the U.S. State Department had given to U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff — who is helping to lead U.S.-Iran diplomacy — to press for her release.
President Trump wrote on Truth Social earlier Wednesday that Iran had released a U.S. citizen, but he did not identify the person.
“She is now safely outside of Iran, and in good condition,” Mr. Trump said. “The United States of America appreciates this gesture of Goodwill by Iran.”
The State Department declined to comment on the situation.
Several Americans are imprisoned in Iran, two of whom have been legally designated as wrongfully detained: Kamran Hekmati and Reza Valizadeh. The State Department can label U.S. nationals as “wrongfully detained” based on multiple criteria, including credible evidence of their innocence or reports that they are being held to extract concessions from the U.S. government.
Last month, WTX US News obtained a recording of Valizadeh, an Iranian American journalist, pleading for his release from inside Tehran’s notorious Evin Prison.
The release of detained Americans was not part of the memorandum of understanding signed by the U.S. and Iran last month, which extended the two countries’ ceasefire for 60 days. Fighting between the two sides has resumed over the last week.