Sadegh Larijani Calls for the Release of 'Imprisoned Iranians and Iran's Assets' by the U.S.

The head of Iran's judiciary has called on the United States to release Iranian prisoners in America as well as billions of dollars of Iran's assets. These remarks come just days after Washington requested the release of several Iranian-American dual nationals from the prisons of the Islamic Republic. Sadegh Amoli Larijani stated on Monday, July 24, during a 'High Judicial Officials Meeting' reported by the ISNA news agency, that Iran does not recognize dual nationality under its laws and treats those with Iranian citizenship like all other Iranians. In response to a recent statement by U.S. President Donald Trump, he urged Washington to 'release Iranian prisoners as soon as possible,' whom he claimed are 'trapped in the terrifying prisons of America in violation of all laws, norms, and international rights.' The head of Iran's judiciary did not mention the names of these prisoners in his statements. Larijani added, 'In addition, Iran's assets, which have been seized under false pretenses such as alleged terrorist activities in another country unrelated to Iran, must be immediately released, and our country must have access to these assets.' Previously, the spokesperson and deputy foreign minister of the Islamic Republic had made similar requests regarding the release of Iranian prisoners in the U.S. The remarks from the head of the judiciary coincide with a week of criticism from the White House regarding the continued detention of Iranian-American prisoners in Iran and new sanctions from the U.S. Treasury Department against individuals and institutions supporting the IRGC's missile program. On July 21, Trump warned Iran that if it does not release American citizens imprisoned in the country, it will face serious and new consequences. The White House stated that Trump and his administration have intensified their efforts to return and free all American citizens unjustly imprisoned around the world. The statement called on Iran to return Robert Levinson, a former FBI agent who disappeared ten years ago on Kish Island, and to free Baquer Namazi, Siamak Namazi, and all Americans imprisoned in the country. In addition to Baquer and Siamak Namazi, Karan Vafadari, an art gallery owner, is also among the American citizens imprisoned in Iran, along with his wife, Afrin Niasari, and Nizar Zakka, a Lebanese citizen, both of whom have permanent residency in the U.S. Robin Shahini, another Iranian-American citizen, was imprisoned for a time but was released on bail shortly after being sentenced to 18 years in prison. In the latest case of the detention of American citizens in Iran, the spokesperson for the Iranian judiciary announced on July 15 the issuance of a 10-year prison sentence for Xiaowang, a Princeton University researcher, on charges of 'espionage.' This American citizen, who has been imprisoned in Iran for a year, went there to research his doctoral thesis on the history of Europe-Asia in the 19th and early 20th centuries. According to former prisoners, families of Iranian-Americans imprisoned in Iran, and diplomats, the Islamic Republic sometimes uses detained individuals to exchange them for its prisoners in Western countries and to secure the release of its assets. Tehran has denied this claim. Following the nuclear agreement in July 2015 and subsequent negotiations between Tehran and Washington, Iranian prisoners in the U.S. who were detained for violating the Islamic Republic's sanctions were exchanged for Iranian-American prisoners in the Islamic Republic's prisons. On the other hand, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled last year that $2 billion of Iran's assets frozen in the United States should be allocated to the families of Americans killed in bombings and terrorist attacks that Iran is accused of being involved in. Iran has strongly reacted to this ruling, stating that the U.S. must return these assets to Tehran.