US: Efforts to Free Wrongfully Detained American Citizens in Iran Continue

A spokesperson for the US State Department announced on Friday that the United States continues its efforts to free citizens "wrongfully detained" in Iran but has no new updates on the matter. According to this spokesperson, the detention of American citizens by Iran to use them as political leverage is "cruel." He emphasized the Biden administration's commitment to freeing all American citizens imprisoned in other countries, stating, "We are tirelessly working to bring them home [and] we will not stop until they are reunited with their loved ones." The spokesperson once again urged the Islamic Republic to immediately release the "wrongfully imprisoned" Americans. He also mentioned that the United States does not disclose details of efforts to ensure the freedom of detained American citizens in Iran, including their numbers, as such discussions are "sensitive and very consequential" for the detainees and their families. Meanwhile, the news website "Semafor" reported that negotiations for the exchange or release of American prisoners in Iran are ongoing, although the Islamic Republic has a different view on the number of prisoners. Last Sunday, Jake Sullivan, the National Security Advisor, told the Persian section of Voice of America that the Biden administration is engaged in "indirect negotiations" with the Islamic Republic aimed at freeing detained Americans. Currently, three Iranian-American citizens named Emad Sharqi, Morad Tahbaz, and Siamak Namazi, along with a permanent resident of the US named Shahab Delil, are imprisoned in Iran. Observers of Iranian affairs say that the Islamic Republic intends to use the detention of citizens from other countries, especially dual nationals, as leverage in its negotiations with other countries, effectively taking them hostage with false accusations. Many Western countries, including US officials, have repeatedly warned dual citizens that, given the actions of the Islamic Republic, traveling to Iran is risky and have urged them not to endanger themselves by traveling to Iran, even for family visits.