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Iran was pummelled by new US strikes despite the gesture, although the President heaped praise on the decision on social media
03:24, Thu, Jul 16, 2026 Updated: 03:25, Thu, Jul 16, 2026
US President Donald Trump (Image: Getty)
US President Donald Trump has praised Iran's "gesture of goodwill" after a US citizen was released after being detained 19 months earlier.
Trump's commendation of the Middle Eastern country comes despite a ramp-up in hostilities this week.
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The US and Iran have been in on-and-off conflict since February 28 when the US and Israel carried out joint strikes on several key Iranian sites. Iran retaliated by striking sites across the region and closing the critical Strait of Hormuz waterway.
Trump, in a post on Truth Social on Wednesday, July 15, wrote: "Iran has allowed an American Citizen, who was wrongfully detained in December of 2024 under the "presidency" of Sleepy Joe Biden, to leave the Country.
"She is now safely outside of Iran, and in good condition.
"The United States of America appreciates this gesture of Goodwill by Iran!"
Also on Wednesday, Iran was pummelled by new US strikes.
The US Central Command (CENTCOM) wrote in a statement posted to X: "U.S. forces struck Iranian command centers, air defense sites, missile and drone capabilities, and coastal surveillance facilities to further degrade Iran's ability to threaten innocent mariners crewing commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz.
"CENTCOM used precision munitions to hit targets in multiple locations including Bandar Abbas.
"Earlier this morning, American forces struck coastal defense and cruise missile sites on Greater Tunb Island during a 90-minute wave.
"The U.S. military is holding Iran accountable at the Commander in Chief's direction."
The US and Iran have both withdrawn from a short-term peace agreement aimed at permanently ending the conflict.
Cargo ships off the coast of Khor Fakkan (Image: Getty)
On June 17, the US and Iran signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to bring the war to a close within 60 days.
Washington and Tehran had been working towards securing a lasting peace agreement to bring the conflict to an end, restore international shipping through the vital Strait of Hormuz and seek to settle an ongoing dispute over Tehran's nuclear programme.
The Daily Express recently reported that Iran announced its full withdrawal from the MoU on what it said was American violations.
The country's Deputy Minister for Legal and International Affairs Kazem Gharibabadi said Iran will exercise "full sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz, no matter the costs."
US President Donald Trump said the ceasefire was "over" at a NATO summit in Türkiye last week.
"I don't want to deal with them anymore. They're scum," he told reporters.
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