Dena Karari, an American woman detained in Iran for 566 days on espionage charges, has returned to the United States, her human rights lawyer announced Saturday.
Karari arrived in San Francisco wearing an American flag around her shoulders, according to a photo shared by her attorney, Jared Genser. "Welcome home Dena Karari from Iran to the land of the free and the home of the brave— after 566 days wrongly detained by the Iranian regime," Genser wrote on X. "THANK YOU to all who made this day possible, known and unknown. We must now redouble our efforts to get all the other Americans out!"
An Iranian-American dual citizen, Karari was detained by Iranian officials in December 2024, according to The New York Times. She worked for a U.S. technology company and managed a charity for children in Iran. Her passports were confiscated, preventing her departure from the country.
President Trump announced Karari's release on Wednesday, characterizing it as a "gesture of goodwill" by Iran. "Iran has allowed an American Citizen, who was wrongfully detained in December of 2024 under the ‘presidency’ of Sleepy Joe Biden, to leave the Country," Trump wrote on Truth Social. "She is now safely outside of Iran, and in good condition. The United States of America appreciates this gesture of Goodwill by Iran!"