US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a tweet that he was “pleased that the Iranian government has been constructive in this matter”. He added “we will not rest until we bring every American detained in Iran and around the world back home”.
‘Three long years’
Hua Qu, Wang’s wife, welcomed her husband’s release.
“Our family is complete once again. Our son Shaofan and I have waited three long years for this day and it’s hard to express in words how excited we are to be reunited with Xiyue,” she said in a statement.
“We are thankful to everyone who helped make this happen.”
Nizar Zakka, a Lebanese businessman resident in the United States who was freed in June after four years in prison in Iran, told Reuters he was the first to know of the release and had informed Wang’s mother and wife.
“Wang’s wife has got a visa to travel to Germany. Wang is expected to come to Washington DC on Monday,” said Zakka.
Soleimani, a stem cell expert, was arrested at Chicago airport in October 2018 for allegedly attempting to export biological materials to Iran in violation of U.S. sanctions on Iran over its nuclear programme.
Washington has demanded that Iran release the Americans it is holding, including father and son Siamak and Baquer Namazi; Michael R. White, a Navy veteran imprisoned last year, and Robert Levinson, a former FBI agent missing since 2007.
Several dozen Iranians are being held in US prisons, many of them for breaking sanctions.
Tensions have heightened between Iran and the United States since Trump last year pulled Washington out of a 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and six major powers and reimposed sanctions that have crippled Tehran’s economy. Iran has responded by gradually scaling back its commitments under the agreement.
Jason Rezaian, a Washington Post reporter who was released from Iranian jail in 2016 after being held for 18 months on espionage accusations, said on Twitter: “I’m overjoyed this morning to wake up to the great news that Xiyue Wang is finally free,” adding that his imprisonment was “long & unjust”.
