Trump Administration's First Direct Negotiation with Iran on the Sidelines of the JCPOA Meeting

The Trump administration announced that it had discussed the release of its imprisoned citizens with the Iranian side on the sidelines of the JCPOA meeting in Vienna, a conversation that media outlets referred to as the 'first direct negotiation' between the Trump administration and Iran. According to the Associated Press, Mark Toner, the spokesperson for the U.S. State Department, reported that this negotiation took place on Tuesday during the Vienna meeting, which focused on the implementation of the Iran nuclear agreement. Mr. Toner stated that 'the American delegation, in discussions with the Iranian delegation, expressed serious concern over the imprisonment and disappearance of American citizens in Iran and demanded the immediate release of these American citizens so they could return to their families.' Toner referred to the imprisonment of Siamak Namazi, an Iranian-American businessman, and his 81-year-old father, Baquer Namazi, who were sentenced to ten years in prison on charges of 'collaborating with American enemies.' The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps arrested Siamak Namazi in October 2015 while he was traveling to Iran to visit his family. The same entity arrested his 81-year-old father in March of the same year, who had been a governor in Iran before the 1979 revolution and later became a UNICEF official. The American delegation's conversation with the Iranian side in Vienna regarding the Namazis comes after the lawyer for Baquer and Siamak Namazi recently urged Donald Trump, the President of the United States, to pressure Iranian officials during the JCPOA negotiations for the release of the two. According to the Associated Press, the State Department spokesperson also mentioned the disappearance of Robert Levinson, a retired FBI agent, who went missing in 2007 after traveling to Kish Island. Mark Toner stated, 'Iran committed to cooperate with the United States to bring Bob [Robert] home, and we urge Iran to uphold this commitment.' Toner did not mention the cases of two other Iranian-Americans, Reza Shahini and Karan Vafadari. Reza (Robin) Shahini, an Iranian-American citizen, was recently released on bail from prison in Iran, but it is unclear whether he has been allowed to leave Iran. Karan Vafadari and his wife, Afrin Nissari, have been detained in Iran since July. In this context, there has been an increase in efforts to free the two Iranian-American prisoners, and the lawyer for the Namazi family has called for U.S. pressure on Iran for the release of his clients. The Namazi family has requested assistance from Donald Trump.