Iran on Thursday released a U.S. Navy veteran who has been detained for nearly two years.
Michael White was detained in July 2018 while he was visiting a girlfriend in Iran. He was later convicted of insulting Iran’s supreme leader and releasing sensitive information online. The State Department in January 2019 said he was serving a sentence of 13 years.
President Trump confirmed Mr. White’s release in a tweet Thursday and said that the veteran is aboard a Swiss plane that has “just left Iranian Airspace.”
“We expect him to be home with his family in America very soon…,” Mr. Trump continued. “I will never stop working to secure the release of all Americans held hostage overseas! Thank you Switzerland for your great assistance.”
In a statement obtained by CNN, Mr. White’s mother, Joanne White, said that her son had been freed.
“For the past 683 days, my son, Michael, has been held hostage in Iran by the IRGC, and I have been living a nightmare. I am blessed to announce that the nightmare is over, and my son is safely on his way home,” she said, referring to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
“We understand there is great interest in Michael’s story. In time, Michael will tell it himself, his way,” Ms. White continued.
Mr. White was released from prison into Swiss custody in March on a medical furlough. He was later admitted to the hospital with symptoms of COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus.
The release comes shortly after an Iranian scientist was released from U.S. custody after being held by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, but American officials have denied the two releases are linked.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo attributed Mr. White’s release to negotiations with Iran led by special representative Brian Hook.
“While we are pleased that Iran was constructive in this matter, there is more work to do,” the secretary said in a statement.
“The United States continues to call for the release of U.S. citizens Baquer Namazi, Siamak Namazi and Morad Tahbaz, who have been wrongfully detained in Iran for far too long, and to provide a full accounting of the fate of Robert Levinson.”
In March, the family of Mr. Levinson, a former FBI agent, announced that U.S. officials believe he has died in Iranian custody, 13 years after he disappeared on an island off the coast of Iran.
Upon their announcement, the family said Mr. Levinson’s body has not yet been returned to the U.S. and they “don’t know when, or even if, his body would be returned to us. This is the very definition of cruelty.”
It is believed that Mr. Levinson died before the coronavirus outbreak hit Iran.
• Lauren Toms can be reached at lmeier@washingtontimes.com.
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