U.S. House of Representatives Calls for the Release of American Prisoners in Iran

On Wednesday, August 4, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a resolution unanimously calling on Iran to release all American citizens imprisoned in the country. According to the Nita Lowey website, a member of the House from New York, the resolution refers to the imprisoned American citizens in Iran as hostages of the regime and demands their unconditional release by the Islamic Republic. Resolution 317 of the House of Representatives states that Iran is requested to free Siamak Namazi, Baquer Namazi, Karan Vafadari (and his wife) Afrin Niyasari, Nizar Zaka, and all American citizens or permanent residents. Elina Rosa Lentin, a Republican representative from Florida and one of the sponsors of this resolution, stated that the passage of this resolution, which enjoys bipartisan support, sends a strong message to the Iranian government that such actions will not be tolerated. She added that the passage of this resolution also sends a message to the U.S. government that Congress is deeply concerned about the fate of American citizens imprisoned in Iran. The resolution also calls on the U.S. President to take meaningful steps to locate and bring back Robert Levinson. Robert Levinson, a former FBI agent, has been missing for ten years. It is said that he was last seen on Kish Island. However, the Iranian government claims it has no information about Levinson's fate or whereabouts. Reports indicate that four American citizens and two permanent residents are imprisoned in Iran. In addition to Baquer and Siamak Namazi and Karan Vafadari, it has recently been revealed that Xiao Wang, a Chinese-American student, is also detained in Iran. Yao Wang, a Chinese-American researcher at Princeton University, was arrested about a year ago, but news of his arrest surfaced last week when the Iranian judiciary spokesperson announced his prison sentence for 'illegal entry' into the country and 'sending confidential information abroad.' Baquer Namazi, 81, a former UNICEF official, was arrested in Iran in February 2016. Siamak Namazi, Baquer's 46-year-old son and former Iranian-American director of strategic planning at Crescent Petroleum, was arrested four months earlier during a trip to Iran. The Iranian Revolutionary Court sentenced each of them to ten years in prison, claiming they committed espionage and contacted the U.S. government. Reports indicate that on Tuesday, family members of American citizens imprisoned in Iran attended a session in the U.S. House of Representatives. According to reports, Douglas Levinson, Robert Levinson's son, Babak Namazi, Siamak's brother and Baquer Namazi's son, and Omar Zaka, Nizar Zaka's son, were present at the 'Middle East and North Africa Committee' session. While this resolution was passed in the U.S. House of Representatives, Donald Trump, the U.S. President, warned Iran last Friday that if it does not release the American citizens imprisoned in the country, it will face serious and new consequences. The White House stated that Iran has used detention and hostage-taking as a tool of state policy for forty years. Sadegh Larijani, the head of Iran's judiciary, in response to Trump's remarks, called on the U.S. to 'release Iranian prisoners' in the country as soon as possible. In this context, Sadegh Larijani demanded the release of 'imprisoned Iranians and Iran's assets' by the U.S.