An Iranian detained in Tehran, an American resident, and his son who came to camp opposite the White House are on a simultaneous hunger strike to demand the release of the father, not included in the recent prisoner exchange agreement between the United States and Iran.
Shahab Dalili, who has US permanent resident status but not US citizenship, was imprisoned in Iran in 2016 after attending a family funeral. Accused of espionage, which he denies, Mr. Dalili was sentenced to 10 years in prison.
Last week, his son Darian Dalili, who resides in Massachusetts (northeast), drove hours to Washington when he learned that five Americans imprisoned in Iran were to be released under an Iranian-American agreement but did not see his father’s name mentioned.
“I hope to get an answer, an action from the American government,” the 28-year-old young man told AFP on Monday, who claims to have only consumed water since Saturday. “It’s just a desperate move.”
The head of American diplomacy, Antony Blinken, said Thursday that to his knowledge, there was no longer any American citizen detained in Iran, the five prisoners concerned by the agreement having been placed under house arrest, the first step before their complete release.
For Darian, an American citizen, “it’s as if my ordeal and that of my family did not count”.
His father would also have become a citizen of the United States “if he had not been held hostage” in Tehran, added the young man.
State Department official speaks to Dalili family but Shahab not considered ‘unjustly detained’, US Foreign Ministry spokesman Vedant Patel said, adding US Department is assessing many cases individuals of this type.
15/08/2023 00:31:07 – Washington (AFP) – © 2023 AFP
