Who Is Dena Karari? Trump Reveals Iran Has Freed American Citizen As 'Goodwill Gesture'

US citizen Dena Karari has been released by Iran after being detained since December 2024, with President Donald Trump and her attorney confirming she is returning to the United States.

US citizen Dena Karari, who had been detained in Iran since December 2024, has been released and is traveling back to the United States, according to her attorney, Jared Genser. President Donald Trump announced the release on Wednesday, saying Iran had allowed an American citizen who was “wrongfully detained” to leave the country.

“She is now safely outside of Iran, and in good condition,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “The United States of America appreciates this gesture of Goodwill by Iran!”

Trump did not initially identify the woman, but she was later named by her attorney as Dena Karari.

Genser confirmed the development in a post on X, saying, “I am delighted and excited to report that my client US citizen Dena Karari, who had been trapped in Iran since December 2024 on bogus charges is now free.”

He also credited Trump for securing her release, adding, “This would not have happened but for the extraordinary and relentless efforts of President Donald Trump. Dena is now safe and traveling back to the United States.”

According to previous reports, Karari is an Iranian-American dual national who worked for a US technology company and also ran a charity for children in Iran.

Karari traveled to Shiraz in December 2024 to visit family but was barred from leaving Iran after authorities confiscated her passports. She later faced charges of espionage and collaboration with a hostile state and was repeatedly interrogated before eventually being allowed to leave the country.

As of last month, a US official said the US government was tracking at least six Americans detained in Iran, including two who had been officially designated as wrongfully detained.

Karari’s release comes as Trump weighs expanding US military strikes on Iran. According to Axios, Tehran has taken similar steps in the past as a way to de-escalate tensions with the United States.

Get Latest News Live on Times Now along with Breaking News and Top Headlines from US News and around the World.