Congressman Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) today issued the following statement after the Iranian government released Potomac, Maryland resident Haleh Esfandiari:
"I am relieved that this nightmare is over for Dr. Esfandiari and her family and that she will be allowed to return home. There was no evidence to prove the trumped-up charges brought against her and it was clear that her presence in Iran never posed a threat to the Iranian government. Dr. Esfandiari has dedicated her career to improving relations between the United States and Iran. I am pleased that she will be allowed to return to the United States to continue her important work. I will continue working for the release of the American-Iranian scholars still being detained in Iran until they, too, are allowed to return to their families.”
Earlier this year, the House of Representatives passed a resolution introduced by Congressman Van Hollen that called for the immediate release of Dr. Haleh Esfandiari, a U.S. citizen and resident of Potomac, Maryland, and other dual Iranian- American citizens.