TEHRAN (VINnews) – Kamran Hekmati, a Jewish Iranian American businessman from New York who spent more than a year in Tehran’s notorious Evin Prison, has reportedly been released but remains under a travel ban that prevents him from returning to the United States.
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Iranian sources cited by The Jerusalem Post, reported Monday that Hekmati was released Saturday. Iranian authorities have not publicly confirmed his release or disclosed the conditions under which he was freed. His travel restriction remains in place, leaving him in Iran despite his reported release from prison.
Hekmati, who is in his early 60s according to more recent U.S. records, is a Jewish Iranian American who lives in the Great Neck area of Long Island and operated a jewelry business in New York. He was born in Iran and moved to the United States as a teenager, becoming part of the large Persian Jewish community in the New York area.
Family members have described Hekmati as a family-oriented man who maintained ties to Iran and had traveled there several times without incident. He returned to Iran in 2025 for what was intended to be a short visit to see relatives and attend to family and business matters.
Instead, Iranian authorities confiscated his passport and electronic devices and prevented him from leaving the country, according to the Foley Foundation, which has advocated for his release. He was later arrested and sent to Evin Prison.
Arrest centered on a trip to Israel
The case against Hekmati centered on a trip he made to Israel more than a decade earlier to attend his son’s bar mitzvah.
Iranian authorities accused him of violating Iranian restrictions on travel to Israel. Hekmati’s family and organizations supporting him have argued that the prosecution was unjust and that his Israeli trip had taken place years before his arrest.
His trial lasted roughly 10 minutes, according to his family and advocates, and was conducted without witnesses or a lawyer representing him, according to reports.
Hekmati was initially sentenced to four years in prison. His sentence was later reduced to two years, according to reporting from the Times of Israel and Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
Health concerns added urgency
Hekmati’s imprisonment also raised concerns over his health. Advocacy groups and his family have said he has been dealing with bladder cancer and requires ongoing medical monitoring.
The Foley Foundation said Hekmati was not receiving the medical care and regular screenings it considers necessary while imprisoned at Evin.
The health concerns became an important part of efforts to secure his release, with his family arguing that he should be allowed to return to the United States for medical care.
U.S. calls him wrongfully detained
The U.S. government formally designated Hekmati as wrongfully detained in March, a significant step that placed his case under the U.S. government’s Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs.
The designation reflected Washington’s determination that Hekmati was being held improperly and allowed the case to receive additional diplomatic attention.
Hekmati’s case also became part of the broader concern over Americans and dual nationals detained by Iran. Iran does not recognize dual citizenship, meaning Iranian American citizens can face particular difficulties when dealing with Iranian authorities.
A Jewish American caught in Iran’s tensions with Israel
Hekmati’s Jewish identity has added another dimension to the case. His imprisonment came amid heightened tensions between Iran, Israel and the United States.
His family has said he was not a political activist and had maintained connections to Iran despite having lived in the United States for decades. His supporters have argued that his case illustrates the risks faced by dual nationals who return to Iran despite having longstanding family or business ties there.
Evin Prison, where Hekmati was held, is one of Iran’s best-known detention facilities and has housed political prisoners and other high-profile detainees for decades.
For Hekmati’s family, however, the reported release is not the end of the ordeal. Until Iran lifts the travel ban and permits him to board a flight home, he remains unable to return to his family and life in New York.
The United States has not yet publicly confirmed that Hekmati is free or said whether it is negotiating directly with Tehran over his departure.
For now, his reported release from Evin marks an important development — but Hekmati is not yet home.
This situation is a stark reminder of the risks dual nationals face, especially when returning to countries with complex political environments. A man should be able to travel to his son’s bar mitzvah without fear of it becoming a pretext for imprisonment years later. The family is the basic unit of society, and keeping a man from his family, especially one with health issues, is a grave injustice. His release from prison is a step, but the travel ban means he is still not free.