U.S. citizen allowed to leave Iranian prison for a week

Oct 1 (Reuters) - Siamak Namazi, an Iranian American imprisoned in Iran for nearly seven years on espionage-related charges rejected by Washington as baseless, has been allowed out of Tehran's Evin prison on a one-week furlough, his lawyer said on Saturday.

Separately, his father and former United Nations official Baquer Namazi, who was also convicted on charges of "collaboration with a hostile government," has been allowed to leave Iran for medical treatment, U.N.

Soon after news broke of Siamak's furlough, Iran's Nournews said an unnamed regional nation had mediated between Tehran and Washington for the "simultaneous release of prisoners".

Secretary-General today that Iran has lifted the travel ban imposed on Baquer Namazi.".

The department was grateful that Siamak Namazi, "has been granted a humanitarian furlough in order to be with his father," Price said in a release.

"The travel ban on Baquer Namazi was lifted on Wednesday on humanitarian grounds and due to the requests made for his treatment abroad," said Kazem Gharibabadi, Iran's deputy judiciary chief, state media reported.

Baquer Namazi, 85, was convicted in Iran of "collaboration with a hostile government" in 2016 and sentenced to 10 years in prison.

"I am thrilled for the Namazi family that for the first time in seven years Siamak Namazi is sleeping at home with his family," lawyer Jared Genser, who represents the family, told Reuters, saying Siamak was staying with his parents at their Tehran apartment and was on a one-week renewable furlough.

A separate State Department spokesperson said the United States is working to bring those two home as well as Siamak Namazi.