Iran Releases American Citizen Baquer Namazi

Facts

• Iranian American Baquer Namazi, who was arrested by Iran on espionage charges, reportedly left the country on Wednesday, initially for Oman, after being detained for more than six years.¹
• The 85-year-old former UNICEF official, who served as governor of Iran's oil-rich Khuzestan province under the US-backed Shah, was arrested in 2016. He was placed under house arrest in 2018 on medical grounds.²
• According to US Sec. of State Antony Blinken, Namazi left Oman for the UAE, where he is reportedly undergoing medical treatment in Abu Dhabi to clear a severe blockage that put him at high risk of a stroke.³
• Meanwhile, Namazi's son, Siamak, arrested in 2015 during a business trip to Iran, remains in Iranian custody but was granted a one-week renewable furlough over the weekend. Both were sentenced to prison terms that the US alleges were based on false spying charges.⁴
• Namazi, who, like his son, was convicted in 2016 of 'collaboration with a hostile government' and jailed for 10 years, was one of four Iranian Americans who have been detained in recent years or barred from leaving the country.⁵
• The US State Dept. rejected claims by Iranian officials that these latest developments were part of a deal to release $7B in Iranian assets held in South Korea that had been frozen under US sanctions.⁶

Sources: ¹Al Jazeera, ²CBS, ³CNN, ⁴NPR Online News, ⁵Reuters and ⁶Washington Post.

Narratives

• Anti-Iran narrative, as provided by VOA. Baquer Namazi was wrongfully and cruelly detained in 2016 while trying to secure the release of his son. While his release is a positive step, the US must work diligently to free all wrongfully detained US citizens in Iran. Tehran's unjust detentions are a human rights issue.
• Pro-Iran narrative, as provided by IRNA. Iran has every right to combat the threat of extremism and terrorism often inflicted by US and Western meddling. Titles such as 'dual nationality' are not a free pass for those who cannot respect Iranian law. Tehran has a responsibility to take reasonable security precautions.