A New York jeweler has been released from prison in Iran but is banned from leaving war-torn country

A New York jeweler named Kamran Hekmati has been released from an Iranian prison but is still barred from leaving the war-torn nation, according to family and U.S. officials. Hekmati served half of a two-year sentence at Tehran’s notorious Evin prison before his release on September 5. His family expressed deep concern for his health, as he suffers from bladder cancer and requires regular medical checkups.

The Iranian regime, in their view, is indifferent to Hekmati’s medical needs and appears to detain Americans to secure political concessions from the U.S. Hekmati, 62, is currently staying in Iran, though the location remains undisclosed, and it is uncertain whether he will be able to leave the country. His cousin in California expressed hope that his passport will be returned soon, allowing him to travel abroad.

Hekmati, who is Jewish and owns a jewelry business in Manhattan’s Diamond District, was arrested in July after his passport was confiscated while attempting to fly out of Tehran. He was charged under an Iranian law prohibiting Iranian citizens from visiting Israel within the past decade, despite his last trip to Israel occurring 13 years ago.

U.S. Rep. Thomas Suozzi and the State Department have called for Hekmati to be officially designated as a wrongfully detained individual and released. The State Department is also urging Iran to lift its exit ban and release Iranian American journalist Reza Valizadeh, as well as other Americans unjustly detained in the country. Valizadeh, who has been imprisoned since 2024, has documented the poor prison conditions, including the resurgence of tuberculosis and the denial of medical care to his family.