President Trump says Iran is releasing a US citizen identified as Dena Karari

President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that Iran had released an American woman who he said was “wrongfully imprisoned” in the country a year and a half ago.

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

In the Truth Social post, Trump said the woman was arrested in December 2024, during the Biden administration and was recently allowed to travel to Iran.

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

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

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

After his release, Trump thanked Iran for what he described as an “act of goodwill.”

“The United States of America appreciates this good deed by Iran!” he wrote.

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Dena Karari was targeted after Iranian authorities linked her to the Children of Mehr Foundation, a non-profit organization registered in the US, her lawyer said. (AFP/Via Getty Images)

Gesner released a statement shortly after Trump’s announcement, saying he was “detained in Iran on bogus charges of dealing with a hostile country and espionage” but is now on his way back to the United States.

According to Genser, Karari was targeted after Iranian authorities put him in touch with the Children of Mehr Foundation, a US-registered nonprofit organization that provides books, literacy programs and other humanitarian aid to poor children in rural Iran.

Under the regime, cooperation with US-based organizations operating inside Iran is often viewed with heightened suspicion and can lead to prosecution for security-related crimes.

Genser clarified that Karari was never formally arrested but was kept in Iran “with the prohibition of forced exit.” He was reportedly interrogated several times by Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS) and “suffered great physical and mental hardship.”

“We urge Iran to drop all remaining charges against those who were working in the area supporting the Children of Mehr Foundation, who are innocent and did not commit any crimes,” said Genser. “And I personally call on Iran to release all Americans who have been wrongfully detained and those who have been forcibly removed and all Iranian political prisoners.”

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Protesters chant slogans during an anti-government protest in Tehran, Iran, Jan. 8, 2026. (UGC through AP)

Sources previously told Fox News Digital in January 2026 that Iran may have held more than eight American citizens and civilians, exceeding publicly available information that listed five American hostages in Iran.

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

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

“The Iranian regime has a long history of arbitrarily and unjustly detaining foreign nationals as hostages to use as political leverage. Iran should release these people immediately,” the official said.

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

According to United Against Nuclear Iran, Tehran imprisons foreigners on vague charges and uses them as “bargaining chips” to gain concessions from other countries, such as obtaining the release of frozen financial assets under international sanctions.

Iran tends to target people who hold American and Iranian citizenship, as Tehran does not recognize dual citizenship and often treats dual citizens as Iranian nationals, limiting their access to US diplomatic assistance, United Against Nuclear Iran said.

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During the most recent major prisoner exchange in September 2023, the US secured the release of five Americans who had been imprisoned in Iran for years. In exchange, the US approved the transfer of $6 billion in frozen funds.

Benjamin Weinthal of Fox News contributed to this report.