On Thursday, August 10, 2023, four Americans incarcerated in Iran were transferred from Evin prison to supervised residence. This development is considered “encouraging” by the White House and fuels hopes for an agreement leading to their release.
Indeed, the family of one of the four Americans detained in Iran revealed that they have been transferred to a supervised residence, raising hopes for an agreement that would allow them to leave the country. The progress in the release of these detainees, one of whom has been held for nearly eight years, is the result of discreet and intense negotiations between Washington and Tehran, involving the unlocking of frozen Iranian funds in South Korea.
A lawyer for Siamak Namazi’s family stated that Emad Sharqi, Morad Tahbaz, and Siamak Namazi, all three Iranian-Americans, along with a fourth prisoner whose name has not been disclosed, have been released from Evin prison to find residence in Tehran. Additionally, another source reported that a fifth American had joined a supervised residence a few weeks earlier.
“We are grateful that Siamak and the other Americans in Iran have been released from Evin prison and are under house arrest,” said Babak Namazi, Siamak’s brother. “While this represents a positive development, we will not cease our efforts until Siamak and the others are back home,” the lawyer stated in a press release.
Jared Genser, a lawyer for the Namazi family, also welcomed the announcement but emphasized that the Americans were not yet fully released. “While I very much hope that this will constitute the first step towards their ultimate release, it is at best the beginning of the end, and nothing more.”
