He was released after 16 months of detention through a prisoner swap with Michael White. Taheri was welcomed by Deputy Foreign Minister Hossein Jaberi Ansari at the Imam Khomeini International Airport.
Upon arrival, he told reporters that charges against him were false and unfair. Taheri said he was helping Iranian researchers at the University of Tehran develop an anti-cancer vaccine.
He appreciated the efforts of Iranian officials and the government, especially Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif for securing his release.
Meanwhile, Tehran has stressed that there have been no direct talks between Iran and US governments over the recent prisoner swap. Foreign Ministry Spokesman Abbas Mousavi said on Sunday that the Swiss government has facilitated the exchange.
“The swap was implemented due to humanitarian reasons. The US has held a number of our citizens hostage claiming they have violated US sanctions,” said Mousavi. Noting that US sanctions are illegal and baseless, he maintained, “During this time with the help of the Swiss government, we have tried our best to utilize all our resources.”
“The Swiss government was responsible for the negotiations and there were no direct talks between Iran and the US,” he added.
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