Concerns Raised Over US Handling Of Permanent Residents Held In Iran

Darin Dalili, Shahab Dalili's son, speaking to Iran International about the date of his father during a sit-in outside the White House on August 11, 2023
Darin Dalili, Shahab Dalili's son, speaking to Iran International about the date of his father during a sit-in outside the White House on August 11, 2023

A family member of a US green card holder currently held prisoner in Iran voiced growing concerns over the uncertain fate of his father.

Iran and the United States announced Thursday that several US citizens held hostage by Tehran had been released from prison into house custody and may be freed in exchange for $6 billion frozen in South Korea.

In a solemn family sit-in outside the White House, Darin Dalili, Shahab Dalili's son, an Iranian citizen with permanent residence status in the United States who remains imprisoned in Iran, expressed his disappointment and concern regarding the US government's response to prisoners with green cards.

Dalili conveyed his disappointment with US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken's recent statement indicating a lack of knowledge about prisoners with green cards, emphasizing that his family had been in communication with the US State Department for years, striving to highlight the situation. He asserted that such a stance from the US government could be interpreted as yielding to pressures by the Islamic Republic.

Highlighting a discrepancy between policy and practice, Dalili pointed out the apparent contradiction with the Robert Levinson Law, which addresses the return of hostages, including US permanent residents. He underlined that despite this law, a green card holder remains imprisoned in Iran without clear resolution or intervention from US authorities.

Earlier, Secretary of State Anthony Blinken addressed the matter, saying that, aside from the five American citizens currently imprisoned in Iran, the US government lacks awareness of any other American citizens being held in the country.