The Trump administration has secured the release of an American student who had been jailed in Iran for three years under accusations of espionage, according to CNN.
Xiyue Wang was released Saturday as part of a prisoner swap negotiated by the U.S. State Department. The Princeton University Ph.D. student is presently in Germany at an American Army Hospital where he is undergoing a medical evaluation before returning to the United States.
Can’t wait to welcome you back home, @FreeXiyueWang. pic.twitter.com/C7yyeJIA5W
— Department of State (@StateDept) December 7, 2019
Wang’s release was part of a prisoner swap where the United States freed Masoud Soleimani, an Iranian scientist who had been arrested last year on trade violations.
President Donald Trump announced Wang’s release early Saturday morning in a brief statement that noted the role of U.S. ally Switzerland in securing the student’s freedom: After more than three years of being held prisoner in Iran, Xiyue Wang is returning to the United States. A Princeton University graduate student, Mr. Wang had been held under the pretense of espionage since August 2016. We thank our Swiss partners for their assistance in negotiating Mr. Wang’s release with Iran. The highest priority of the United States is the safety and well-being of its citizens. Freeing Americans held captive is of vital importance to my Administration, and we will continue to work hard to bring home all our citizens wrongfully held captive overseas. – READ MORE