2 Americans imprisoned in Iran, Lebanon released

An American jailed for months in Lebanon was released from custody Thursday, while a Navy veteran was granted medical furlough from an Iran prison as the country struggles to curb the spread of coronavirus, US officials said.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced that Michael White, imprisoned more than a year ago for insulting Iran's supreme leader, was released to the Swiss Embassy as part of a furlough that will require him to remain in Iran. The US will work for his full release, Pompeo said.

The other American was Amer Fakhoury, a New Hampshire restaurant owner who had faced decades-old murder and torture charges in Lebanon that he denies. He was ordered released by a judge because more than 10 years had passed since the crimes he was accused of committing.

The Trump administration trumpeted the twin releases, though done in different countries and for different reasons, as part of its efforts to secure the release of Americans held hostage or imprisoned abroad.

Officials including President Donald Trump used the occasion to name additional Americans they want released, including journalist Austin Tice, who went missing in Syria in 2012.

"I want to let everyone know that recovering Americans held captive and imprisoned abroad continues to be a top priority for my administration," Trump said at a news conference.

White's release, though temporary for the moment, came as Iran has furloughed tens of thousands of prisoners while struggling with a coronavirus that Iranian officials fear could kill millions.

White, of Imperial Beach, California, was detained in Iran while visiting a girlfriend there in July 2018. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison for insulting Iran's supreme leader and posting private information; the State Department said he was serving a 13-year sentence.

His mother had called for White's immediate release in an interview with The Associated Press this month, saying she was concerned about the well-being of her son and that he had been battling cancer.

"He is in very good spirits, but has some pretty sustained health conditions that are going to require some attention, Brian Hook, the US special envoy for Iran, said on a conference call. Hook said White would be evaluated by doctors.

Fakhoury was on his way back to the U.S. after a judge in Lebanon ordered him released. Fakhoury had been accused of torturing prisoners at a jail run by an Israeli-backed militia two-decades ago. He had been imprisoned since September after returning to Lebanon to visit family.

His case had put a significant strain on already troubled ties between the US and Lebanon. Lawmakers in Washington had threatened to withhold critical aid to the country and impose sanctions on the Lebanese military, which is seen by the Trump administration as a bulwark against the Iranian-backed Hezbollah movement.

"Anytime a US citizen is wrongfully detained by a foreign government, we must use every tool at our disposal to free them, said Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-NH, who had worked for his release.

"I'm very glad that Amer is finally coming home and will be reunited with his family. No family should have to go through what the Fakhoury family has gone through."