Former US soldier Michael White, arrested in Iran in July 2018, "is on the way back" to the United States after being released by Iranian authorities, his mother announced Thursday.
"For the past 683 days, my son, Michael, has been held hostage in Iran by the Revolutionary Guards," the ideological army of the Islamic Republic, "and I have had a nightmare. 'announce that the nightmare is over,' said Johanne White in a statement.
US President Donald Trump confirmed the information, adding that Michael White is "on a Swiss plane that has just left Iranian airspace" and will be back in the United States "very soon".
I am to happy announce that Navy Veteran, Michael White, who has been detained by Iran for 683 days, is on a Swiss plane that just left Iranian Airspace. We expect him to be home with his family in America very soon ....
- Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 4, 2020This release comes the day after the release of an Iranian scientist released, Cyrus Asgari, by the United States after nearly three years of detention for espionage.
US authorities have not commented at this point and have not specified whether it was a prisoner swap, as there was again in late 2019 between the two enemy countries without diplomatic ties.
Michael White had been sentenced in March 2019 to ten years in prison for insulting the supreme guide Ali Khamenei and posting personal photos on social networks, according to his lawyer.
In mid-March, he had been granted leave for "medical" and "humanitarian" reasons, but on condition that he did not leave the country, and had been entrusted to the Swiss embassy in Tehran, which represents American interests in Iran. Washington continued to demand his outright release.
With AFP
The France 24 week summary invites you to come back to the news that marked the week
I subscribeTake international news everywhere with you! Download the France 24 app
google-play-badge_FR