Mr. Namazi and one of his sons, Siamak, also a dual citizen of Iran and the United States, were convicted in October 2016 by an Iranian revolutionary court of collaborating with a hostile power — meaning the United States — after a closed trial. Mr. Genser and the family’s other son, Babak, have described the Namazis as hostages and have asserted their innocence. The United States has called on Iran to release the Namazis and at least two other American citizens known to be held in Iranian prisons. The elder Namazi has been hospitalized at least four times over the past year, Mr. Genser said, and doctors installed a pacemaker last September. They also have long contended that the United States unfairly imprisons Iranians for violating what Iran considers specious American sanctions against the country.

Source: New York Times February 06, 2018 21:41 UTC