Iran frees imprisoned U.S. resident
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Iran freed a U.S. resident imprisoned on espionage charges, a possible overture toward the Trump administration as international efforts to end a bellicose standoff between Washington and Tehran gather momentum.
“After more than 1,350 days in captivity in Iran, we have received excellent news: Mr. Nizar Zakka is a free man,” his Virginia-based lawyer, Jason Poblete, said in a message on Tuesday. He “looks forward to reuniting with family and friends.”
Zakka, a Lebanese national, was released into the custody of a Lebanese security chief and was flown to Beirut, according to a tweet from the security agency. Iran’s state-run Fars news agency had reported earlier that he would be handed over to Lebanon’s Hezbollah movement, an Iranian ally.
Zakka, a technology expert, was arrested on a trip to Iran. He was sentenced in 2016 to 10 years in prison after Iranian authorities accused him of spying. His family rejected the charges and had campaigned for his freedom.
Zakka’s release comes during a week of high-stakes diplomacy in Tehran, intended to salvage the international nuclear deal with Iran and reduce tensions that followed the Trump administration’s decision to abandon the accord and tighten sanctions.