Oman thanks Iran for releasing US citizen Baquer Namazi

• Baquer Namazi was convicted of “collaboration with a hostile government” in 2016.
• He is one of four Iranian Americans, including his son Siamak, arrested or prohibited from leaving the country.
• Namazi is an 85-year-old former U.N. official with the dual U.S. and Iranian citizenship.

According to the Iranian foreign ministry’s website, Oman praised Iran on Tuesday for turning over U.S. citizen Baquer Namazi. However, it was unclear whether the Iranian-American had left the Islamic Republic or when he may do so.

Namazi, an 85-year-old former U.N. official with dual U.S. and Iranian citizenship, is one of four Iranian Americans, including his son Siamak, arrested in Iran or prohibited from leaving the country.

“In a phone call, Oman’s foreign minister expressed his gratitude and appreciation for Tehran’s trust in the Omani authorities and the humanitarian action of Iran in handing over Baquer Namazi to Muscat,” the foreign ministry of Iran said.

Baquer Namazi was convicted of “collaboration with a hostile government” and sentenced to 10 years in jail in Iran in 2016. Iranian government released him in 2018 and ended his case in 2020, reducing his sentence to time served but prohibiting him from leaving the country.

The United Nations said on Saturday that Namazi was permitted to leave Iran for medical treatment.

After nearly seven years in jail, Siamak, the family’s 51-year-old son, was freed from Tehran’s Evin prison on a one-week leave the same day. 2016 also saw the conviction of Siamak for “collaboration with a hostile government.”

The U.S. government has deemed the charges against both individuals without merit.

Iranian Americans, whose U.S. citizenship is not recognized by Tehran, are frequently used as bargaining chips between the United States and Iran, which are currently at odds over whether to resurrect a deteriorating 2015 agreement that curtailed Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief.

When asked about the Iranian ministry’s statement, the U.S. State Department pointed to a reaction by spokesman Vedant Patel, who told reporters, “out of respect for the family’s privacy, I don’t have any other details to offer, and we request that the media also respect their privacy.”

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