Trump says Iran released American woman held since 2024 in 'gesture of goodwill'

President Trump announced that Iran released Dena Karari, an Iranian-American citizen detained since December 2024 on espionage charges related to her work with the Children of Mehr Foundation, a U.S. nonprofit providing humanitarian aid to impoverished children in rural Iran. Trump characterized the release as a 'gesture of goodwill,' while Karari's attorney Jared Genser stated she had been held under a 'coercive exit ban,' subjected to dozens of interrogations, and 'suffered enormous physical and psychological hardship'—clarifying she was never formally imprisoned. The reporting is well-sourced with named attorney confirmation and State Department commentary; multiple outlets (ABC News, CNN, NBC News, The Independent, NYT) corroborate the release announcement, though those sources emphasize the broader context of active U.S.-Iran military escalation and strikes occurring simultaneously, which this article mentions but does not foreground. Critical readers should monitor whether Iran's release signals diplomatic opening amid military confrontation, the status of the eight-plus other Americans reportedly held or subject to exit bans in Iran, and whether other detainees mentioned by Genser are released.