President Trump says Iran releases American citizen identified as Dena Karari

President Donald Trump said Tuesday that Iran had released an American woman who he said had been “unfairly detained” in the country for the past year and a half.

Her attorney, Jared Genser, who confirmed her release to Fox News, identified her as Dena Karari, an American citizen of Iranian descent. He was reportedly accused of espionage for his work with an American non-profit organization that helps poor children.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump said the woman was detained in December 2024 during the Biden administration and was recently allowed to leave Iran.

“Iran allowed an American citizen who was wrongfully detained under the ‘presidency’ of Sleepy Joe Biden to leave the country in December 2024,” Trump wrote.

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According to Trump, Karari is now reportedly safely outside of Iran and is in good condition following his release.

His release marks the first time an American has been released from Iranian custody since 2023 and represents a notable development amid ongoing military clashes between Washington and Tehran.

Following his release, Trump thanked Iran for what he described as a “goodwill gesture.”

“The United States appreciates this goodwill gesture from Iran!” he wrote.

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Dena Karari was targeted after Iranian authorities linked her to the Mehr Children Foundation, a U.S.-registered nonprofit, her lawyer said. (via AFP/Getty Images)

Gesner released a statement shortly after Trump’s statement, saying that he was “trapped in Iran on false charges of espionage and collaborating with a hostile state” but was now about to return to the United States.

According to Genser, Karari was targeted after Iranian authorities linked him to the Mehr Children Foundation, a U.S.-registered nonprofit that provides books, literacy programs and other humanitarian aid to poor children in rural Iran.

Under the regime, relations with US-based organizations operating in Iran are often viewed with increased suspicion and can lead to charges of security-related crimes.

Genser explained that Karari was never formally imprisoned, but was effectively held in Iran through a “coercive exit ban.” He was reportedly interrogated dozens of times by Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS) and “subjected to tremendous physical and psychological hardships.”

“We call on Iran to drop all remaining charges against individuals who worked locally to support the Mehr Children Foundation, who were innocent and committed no crime,” Genser said. he said. “And I personally call on Iran to release all Americans who have been unjustly imprisoned, all Americans who have been subject to forced exit bans, and all Iranian political prisoners.”

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Protesters chant slogans during an anti-government demonstration in Tehran, Iran, January 8, 2026. (UGC via AP)

Sources previously told Fox News Digital in January 2026 that Iran may be detaining more than eight American citizens and residents; this figure exceeded publicly available data listing five American hostages in Iran.

Two of the current hostages include Kamran Hekmati, a 61-year-old Jew who has been detained since May 2025, and Reza Valizadeh, a 49-year-old journalist and dual Iranian-American citizen who has been detained since March 2024.

“President Trump is working to secure the release of detained Americans around the world,” a US State Department official previously told Fox News Digital.

“The Iranian regime has a long history of unjustly and unlawfully holding citizens of other countries hostage to use as political leverage. Iran must immediately release these individuals,” the official said.

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Women hold Iranian flags and photos of late Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on March 6, 2026 in Tehran, Iran. (Vahid Salemi/AP Photo)

By the way United Nations Against Nuclear Iran United Nations against Tehran detains foreign nationals on vague charges and uses them as “bargaining chips” to extract concessions from other countries, such as securing the release of frozen financial assets locked up by international sanctions.

United Against Nuclear Iran said Iran frequently targets people with both American and Iranian citizenship because Tehran does not recognize dual citizenship and treats dual citizens merely as Iranian citizens, limiting their access to U.S. consular assistance.

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During the last major prisoner exchange in September 2023, the United States secured the release of five Americans who had been detained in Iran for years. In response, the United States approved the transfer of $6 billion in frozen funds.

Fox News’ Benjamin Weinthal contributed to this report.