09 June 2020; MEMO: Iranian scientist Majid Taheri has returned home following his release from the US, where he was imprisoned for more than 16 months.
Taheri, who was a long-time Florida resident, was jailed after allegedly violating US sanctions on Iran; he has denied all charges, according to PressTV.
“I thank the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran and dear officials, including Mr. Zarif, who worked hard, and other officials who took months to help release me, as an Iranian physician accused of circumventing U.S. sanctions on medicine,” he was quoted as saying, arguing that he was helping the University of Tehran to develop a cancer vaccine, especially for women.
His release comes days after Iranian scientist, Sirous Asgari, was acquitted and deported. This was followed by Iran freeing US Navy veteran Michael White, amid speculation that it was a prison swap, although both US and Iranian officials deny this was the case. However the spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry has revealed that there have been talks on the subject.
According to Iran’s Fars News Agency, White was released on humanitarian grounds. He was jailed over security-related charges which included spreading HIV/AIDS in Iran.
As of yesterday, Iranian government spokesperson Ali Rabiei announced that Tehran was ready to exchange “more prisoners” with the US, adding that the responsibility lies with the US government.
