Iran's and U.S.' flags are seen printed on paper in this illustration taken January 27, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo Acquire Licensing Rights
A US envoy to Iran met with the family of Iranian-German national Jamshid Sharmahd, who was sentenced to death in Iran in February for leading a pro-monarchist organization accused of a deadly 2008 explosion.
On the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, Deputy Special Envoy Abram Paley shared a photo of himself with Sharmahd’s son Shayan and daughter Gazelle.
“I welcomed the opportunity to meet with Jamshid Sharmahd’s family today. He should have never been detained in Iran, and we hope to see the day he is reunited with his loved ones,” Paley wrote.
Responding to the post, Gazelle Sharmahd said she had told Paley she needed “actions” and that her father must be part of whatever is agreed to free U.S. nationals.
“We will continue to urge the Biden Administration to work with stakeholders to #LeaveNoOneBehind or stop negotiations with my dad’s kidnappers,” Sharmahd said on X.
Jamshid Sharmahd, who also has U.S. residency, was arrested in 2020. Iran’s intelligence ministry at the time described him as “the ringleader of the terrorist Tondar group, who directed armed and terrorist acts in Iran from America.”
Based in Los Angeles, the little-known Kingdom Assembly of Iran, or Tondar, says it seeks to restore the Iranian monarchy that was overthrown by the 1979 Islamic revolution. It runs pro-Iranian opposition radio and television stations abroad.