'A gesture of goodwill': Donald Trump confirms Iran released US citizen unjustly detained since 2024

President Donald Trump announced that the Iranian regime allowed the release of a U.S. citizen who had been illegally detained in Iran since late 2024. This development comes amid extreme military and economic tensions between Washington and Tehran over control of global trade routes.

In a post on Truth Social, the U.S. president broke the news and took the opportunity to highlight the failures of the previous Democratic administration in protecting citizens abroad.

"Iran has allowed a U.S. citizen, who was unjustly detained in December 2024 under the 'presidency' of Sleepy Joe Biden, to leave the country," Trump wrote, adding that she is now in a safe place, in excellent health, and that "The United States of America appreciates this gesture of goodwill on Iran's part!"

Victim's profile and detention under Shiite regime

Shortly after the presidential statement, human rights attorney Jared Genser confirmed the woman's identity.

Her name is Dena Karari, a professional with dual U.S. and Iranian citizenship who serves as the founder of the nonprofit Children of Mehr Foundation, an organization dedicated to channeling private donations regulated under an official license from the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) to assist children living in extreme poverty within Iran.

The defense attorney reported that Karari "is now safe outside Iran and on her way back to the United States," while expressly thanking President Trump for his efforts to resolve the impasse.

Genser explained that Iran's Ministry of Intelligence and Security had barred her from leaving the country after bringing unfounded charges of espionage and alleged collaboration with a hostile state.

During her detention, the humanitarian activist was subjected to dozens of grueling interrogations and "enormous physical and psychological hardships," although she was never actually held in a formal prison facility.

First breakthrough in years, but still unresolved issues in Tehran

According to specialized records from the Foley Foundation, Karari's release represents the first successful return of a U.S. citizen from Iran since September 2023.

Analysts link this move by Tehran to the recent defensive deployments of the U.S. Armed Forces in the Persian Gulf and the severe financial sanctions imposed on the regime's crude oil smuggling networks.

Despite the success of this operation, human rights groups point out that the hostage crisis is far from resolved, estimating that at least five Americans remain unlawfully detained by the Islamic theocracy.

Among the publicly identified victims are journalist Reza Valizadeh, 49, arrested in March 2024, and Kamran Hekmati, a 61-year-old Jewish-American citizen who has been held captive since May 2025, as well as three other civilians captured over the past year.