Siamak Namazi made the appeal in a letter to Biden, 7 years after the day Iran released 5 more US citizens in a prisoner exchange that coincided with the start of implementation of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.
“When the Obama administration left me in danger … and released other American citizens held hostage in Iran on January 16, 2016, the US government promised my family to return me safely home in within weeks,” according to Reuters.
“Now, after 7 years (during which two other presidents took power in the United States), I am still being held in the notorious Evin prison in Tehran,” he added.
Namazi asked Biden to spend one minute a day for the next seven days thinking about the suffering of American citizens detained in Iran, including environmental expert Morad Tahbaz, 67, who also holds British citizenship, and businessman Imad Sharqi, 58. .
“Only the president of the United States has the authority to bring us all back to our homes if he is determined to do so,” Namazi added, according to AFP.
Namazi, whose father was allowed to leave Iran in October for medical treatment after his arrest on espionage charges dismissed by Washington, said he would go on a seven-day hunger strike.
In response to a request for comment, a spokesperson for the White House National Security Council said the government was committed to securing Namazi’s freedom.
But last October, the US State Department confirmed that the United States was “making every effort” to secure the release of US citizens detained in Iran.
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