Current:Home > ContactFamily of U.S. resident left out of prisoner deal with Iran demands answers from Biden administration -Finovate
Family of U.S. resident left out of prisoner deal with Iran demands answers from Biden administration
View
Date:2025-04-19 00:42:54
Washington — Shahab Dalili's family members have been anxiously waiting by the phone for seven years.
They waited to hear whether he was even still alive when he wasn't on his flight back to the U.S. from Iran, where he attended his father's funeral in 2016. They've waited for the occasional phone calls from him since he's been imprisoned in Tehran's notorious Evin prison, serving a 10-year sentence for allegedly aiding and abetting a foreign country. They've waited for acknowledgment from the U.S. government to their pleas for help.
And since the Biden administration announced a deal last week that could bring five other detained Americans home from Iran in the coming weeks, the family is now waiting for an explanation on why Shahab has been left out.
"It was heartbreaking," his son Darian Dalili told CBS News on Wednesday. "I had to go protest and go on a hunger strike for my father to even be acknowledged."
He said his father feels "betrayed," telling him in a recent phone call that "the Americans would bring back whoever they wish to bring back, and it appears they don't wish to bring me back."
Shahab Dalili, a U.S. permanent resident and Iranian citizen who is now 60, emigrated to the U.S. in 2014 with his wife and their two sons after he retired as a trade ship captain.
"He was just some retired guy, hoping to send his kids to college in the U.S. and make a good life for them," Darian, 28, said.
In April 2016, Shahab returned to Iran to attend his father's funeral, his first trip back since arriving in the U.S. A week later, his wife waited at Dulles International Airport in Virginia to pick him up, but he never showed up. He had been arrested in Iran hours earlier.
Darian said officials from the Trump and Biden administrations have given his family scant details over the years, other than to say they're monitoring his case. The U.S. government has also not explained why his father has not been declared "wrongfully detained," a rare designation that would formally put the full force of the U.S. government behind securing his release.
"Give us a response of what the heck is going on," Darian said. "Why would those two unnamed prisoners who have only been there for a matter of months be included within the five-people swap? The designation is made for them? Good for them. Why is it so quick for them and so slow for my dad?"
While the identities of three of the Americans included in the deal are known, U.S. officials said the two other Americans involved in the agreement wished to remain anonymous. The U.S. only recently acknowledged that the two had been detained.
The State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Shahab's case on Wednesday. Vedant Patel, a spokesman, said at Wednesday's press briefing that the department is "not going to get into the specifics of specific cases."
"We assess the circumstances of detentions and look for indicators of wrongful detention, and when appropriate, we will make a determination if the indicators meet as such," he told reporters.
Acting Special Envoy for Iran Abram Paley called the family after news of the deal became public "to establish a channel of communication," Darian said, calling it "very delayed" outreach.
Darian said he believes the call was prompted by his "very emotionally worded" emails to the State Department, in which he told officials they were "leaving my dad behind" and "ignoring him."
After not receiving the answers he wanted, he drove from his home in Massachusetts to Washington, D.C., to protest outside the White House and State Department. Darian also went on a days-long hunger strike, but ended it after becoming worried about the health of his father, who was also on a hunger strike.
The younger Dalili said the State Department's reaction to his father's case has not given him much hope that he will ultimately be included in the deal.
"But as long as that plane hasn't taken off the ground, there is hope," he said.
- In:
- Iran
- United States Department of State
Caitlin Yilek is a politics reporter for CBS News Digital. Reach her at caitlin.yilek@cbsinteractive.com. Follow her on Twitter: https://twitter.com/hausofcait
TwitterveryGood! (5)
Related
- Why members of two of EPA's influential science advisory committees were let go
- How many points did Caitlin Clark score last night? Ankle injury, technical foul in loss
- 49-year-old California man collapses, dies while hiking on Mount Shasta, police say
- ‘Top two’ primary election measure makes South Dakota’s November ballot
- EU countries double down on a halt to Syrian asylum claims but will not yet send people back
- Dying ex-doctor serving life for murder may soon be free after a conditional pardon and 2-year wait
- 'The Voice': Bryan Olesen moves John Legend to tears with emotional ballad in finale lead-up
- Trump Media, valued at $7 billion, booked less than $1 million in first-quarter sales
- 'Survivor' 47 finale, part one recap: 2 players were sent home. Who's left in the game?
- Tuesday’s primaries include presidential races and the prosecutor in Trump’s Georgia election case
Ranking
- Chuck Scarborough signs off: Hoda Kotb, Al Roker tribute legendary New York anchor
- The Best White Clothes to Rock This Summer, From White Dresses to White Jeans
- Can't get enough of 'Bridgerton' Season 3? Try reading the Julia Quinn books in order
- ICC prosecutor applies for arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Hamas leaders
- Tarte Shape Tape Concealer Sells Once Every 4 Seconds: Get 50% Off Before It's Gone
- Scarlett Johansson says OpenAI stole her voice: ChatGPT's Sky voice is 'eerily similar'
- 'People of the wrong race': Citi hit with racial discrimination lawsuit over ATM fees
- Vanderpump Rules Star Lala Kent Shares Fashion Finds Starting at $7.98
Recommendation
Are Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp down? Meta says most issues resolved after outages
3 cranes topple after Illinois building collapse, injuring 3 workers
North Carolina bill seeks to restrict public and media access to criminal autopsy reports
49-year-old California man collapses, dies while hiking on Mount Shasta, police say
At site of suspected mass killings, Syrians recall horrors, hope for answers
Severe turbulence during Singapore Airlines flight leaves several people badly injured. One man died
Massachusetts Senate weighs tuition-free community college plan
Over 200,000 electric stoves from Kenmore, Frigidaire recalled after multiple fires, injuries