U. S. resident released from Iran custody says it eases tension

BEIRUT » A Lebanese man with permanent U. S. residency who had been imprisoned in Iran for years on charges of espionage said Tuesday that he was subjected to “kidnapping, arbitrary detention and a show trial,” adding that his release served to deescalate tension between the U. S. and Iran.

In his first comments after arriving in his native Lebanon, Nizar Zakka denied reports that his release was part of a wider deal but suggested that it had helped avert further escalation in the region.

Zakka’s release comes amid heightened tension between Iran and the U. S. after President Donald Trump withdrew the U. S. from Tehran’s nuclear deal with world powers. It comes against the backdrop of highstakes diplomatic activity aimed at easing tension between the two foes.

“The initiative, from beginning to end, was born in Lebanon. ... But I won’t deny that this initiative had positive results on the region and appears to have stopped much of what might have happened,” Zakka told reporters shortly after arriving in Lebanon.

Zakka is one of several prisoners with either dual nationality or links to the West held in Iran. Lebanese officials have for years asked for his release, and it was not clear why Iran decided to act now.

The White House said it was “thankful” for Zakka’s release but wants to see other Americans who are detained there released as well.

“We’re thankful for the release of the individual in Iran,” press secretary Sarah Sanders said. “The big question is there’s several others and we want to see those people released as well.” Sanders declined to say whether the U. S. government was involved in securing Zakka’s release.

The U. S. State Department later released a statement welcoming Zakka’s release from his “unlawful imprisonment.”

“We hope that Mr. Zakka’s release is a positive sign for American detainees in Iran,” it added, referring to several U. S. citizens who remain in detention in Iran.

Flanked by his wife and siblings, Zakka spoke at the presidential palace, his first stop after arriving on a private plane at Beirut airport. He was accompanied by the chief of Lebanon’s General Security Directorate, Maj. Gen. Abbas Ibrahim, who had traveled to the Iranian capital to bring him home.

Wearing a dark suit and tie, Zakka flashed reporters the victory sign and hugged his brother Ziad before he went into a meeting with President Michel Aoun, who had personally requested his release.

“Mr. President, my family and I owe you for the rest of my life for what you did in order for me to win my freedom,” Zakka said after the meeting. “I went there ( to Iran) upon an official invitation to a country where I was kidnapped.”

Zakka, an information technology expert, was arrested in Iran in September 2015 while trying to fly out of Tehran. He had just attended a conference there at the invitation of one of the country’s vice presidents. The following year, he was sentenced to 10 years in prison after authorities accused him of being an American spy — allegations vigorously rejected by his family and associates.

Earlier on Tuesday, an Iranian judiciary official confirmed that Tehran has agreed to hand over Zakka to Lebanese officials, providing the first official confirmation of his release, which had been anticipated for days.