Nahid Taghavi, a dual German-Iranian national, has returned to Germany after four years of imprisonment in Iran as a new round of nuclear negotiations between three major European countries and Tehran is set to resume.
Taghavi's daughter, Mariam Claren, posted on social media on January 14 a picture of herself embracing her mother at what appeared to be a German airport with a caption saying "It's over. Nahid is free!"
"After more than 4 years as a political prisoner in the Islamic Republic of Iran my mother Nahid Taghavi was freed and is back in Germany," she added.
Taghavi, now 69, was arrested by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) while visiting Iran in the fall of 2020.
She was later sentenced to 10 years and eight months in prison by a revolutionary court on charges of taking part in an "illegal group" -- something she and her family have denied.
Taghavi was briefly granted medical furloughs but was required to remain under electronic surveillance in Tehran.
SEE ALSO: Iran In 'Critical Situation' After Punishing Year At Home And AbroadShe was forced to return to prison amid increased tensions between Iran and Germany, notably after German Chancellor Olaf Scholz voiced support for Iran's Women, Life, Freedom protests, a movement advocating for women's rights and freedom in Iran.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock celebrated Taghavi's release in a social media post, calling it "a moment of great joy."
Taghavi's release follows a flurry of diplomatic moves leading up to talks to be held in Geneva on January 14 between Iran, Germany, the United Kingdom, and France.
Last week Italian journalist Cecilia Sala was released after being detained in Iran for three weeks while in Tehran for a reporting trip.
Separately, Iranian national Mohammad Abedini, who was arrested in Italy on a U.S. warrant for allegedly smuggling drone parts to the IRGC, was released and returned to Tehran last week.
The talks in Geneva are the second round in two months concerning Tehran's nuclear program.
France has said the so-called consultations are aimed at working "toward a diplomatic solution to the Iranian nuclear program, the progress of which is extremely problematic."
France, Germany, and the United Kingdom were key players in a 2015 deal, known officially as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), that gave Iran some limited relief from international sanctions in exchange for curbs on its nuclear program designed to prevent it from acquiring a nuclear weapon.
Under then-President Donald Trump, the United States pulled out of the deal and reimposed biting sanctions on the Islamic republic.
With Trump scheduled to be inaugurated once again as president on January 20, Rafael Grossi, head of the UN's International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), has urged Iran and its global partners to achieve "concrete, tangible, and visible results" in talks over Tehran's nuclear program as Trump's return to the White House may mean the window for diplomacy is closing.
Taghavi's case is just one of many involving dual nationals detained in Iran. The West accuses Tehran of using the detainees as diplomatic bargaining chips.
France has demanded the immediate release of its nationals arrested in Iran, saying their conditions are tantamount to torture.
Meanwhile, Switzerland has called for an investigation into the death of one of its citizens in an Iranian jail last week that Iranian authorities ruled was a "suicide."
The fate of Jamshid Sharmahd, an Iranian-German political activist executed in Iran under controversial circumstances, also has fueled tension between Berlin and Tehran. Despite an international outcry, Iran has not released Sharmahd's body to his family in the United States.