US Navy veteran Michael White on his way home after 2 years of detention in Iran

A US Navy veteran who had been detained in Iran for two years was finally allowed to fly out of the country on June 4. According to reports, the release of the Navy veteran comes just a day after an Iranian scientist, held by the US authorities, returned home. In a statement released by the Navy veteran Michael White’s mother Joanne White, she said that finally the nightmare they were living for the last two years was over and her son was on his way back home.

On his way back home to his family

As per reports, former US ambassador Bill Richardson, who negotiated with Iranian officials for the veteran’s release, said that while in Iran, White had tested positive for COVID-19 and had received treatment in Iran itself. Even though White was released soon after the Iranian scientist Cyrus Asgari’s return, both administrations have insisted that this was not a prisoner swap.

Taking to Twiiter, US President Donald Trump said that White was returning in a plane provided by Switzerland and at the time of the tweet White’s plane had left Iranian airspace. Trump also added that he would continue working for the safety and quick release of all Americans held overseas.

White had served in the US Navy for 13 years and was visiting a woman in 2018 in Iran's north-eastern city of Mashhad whom he had met on social media. It was at this time when White was arrested by the Iranian authorities on charges of insulting Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and allegedly posting anti-regime remarks on social media under a pseudonym.

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As per reports, after coronavirus hit Iran hard and White tested positive for COVID-19, he was subsequently handed over to the Swiss after which he was transported to a hospital in Tehran. However, White was still not allowed to leave the country.

Read: Iran Reports 3,000 New Coronavirus Cases, Highest Daily Count In Two Months

Read: Iranian Scientist Acquitted, Deported From US Returns Home

According to reports, Richardson has revealed that White who is in his early 40’s suffers from pre-existing medical conditions and was admitted to a hospital as an extra precaution but otherwise remained in a hotel in Tehran. Richardson added that the negotiations he had conducted in order to secure White’s release proved to be extremely tricky given the heightened tensions between the US and Iran.

(Image Credit AP)