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US Calls on Iran to Immediately Release All ‘Wrongfully’ Detained Citizens

US Ambassador to Switzerland Edward McMullen greets Xiyue Wang in Zurich, Switzerland. (US Embassy in Switzerland)
US Ambassador to Switzerland Edward McMullen greets Xiyue Wang in Zurich, Switzerland. (US Embassy in Switzerland)
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US Calls on Iran to Immediately Release All ‘Wrongfully’ Detained Citizens

US Ambassador to Switzerland Edward McMullen greets Xiyue Wang in Zurich, Switzerland. (US Embassy in Switzerland)
US Ambassador to Switzerland Edward McMullen greets Xiyue Wang in Zurich, Switzerland. (US Embassy in Switzerland)

The US called on Tehran to immediately and safely release all US citizens who are wrongfully detained in Iran.

Speaking at a press briefing, State Department spokeswoman Jalina Porter stressed that the “abhorrent act of unjust detentions” for political gain must cease immediately, whether in Iran or anywhere around the world.

Iran must also account for the fate of Robert Levinson, Emad Sharghi and Morad Tahbaz, who is a UK citizen, said Porter.

“This weekend marks 2,000 days since Iran arrested Siamak Namazi for being a US citizen. Siamak Namazi was a businessman living in Tehran when he was arrested in October of 2015. When his father, 84-year-old Baquer Namazi, traveled to Iran to help free his son, the Iranian government arrested him too.”

Porter explained that Siamak and Baquer were arrested and sentenced to 10 years in prison on baseless charges.

The Iranian government continues to treat the Namazi’s as political pawns, indicated Porter, warning that “this terrible milestone should offend all who believe in the rule of law.”

Also at a press conference, spokesman Ned Price addressed human rights violations in Iran, asserting that the American administration made it clear that there is no higher priority than the safe return of US citizens unjustly detained or missing in Iran.

In response to a question by Asharq Al-Awsat, Price confirmed that the administration will continue to make clear to the Iranians that this practice is unacceptable.

“Secretary Blinken, of course, issued a very strong message about the state taking of hostages, using people for political pawns. He condemned it.”

Price said Iran’s leaders have no misimpression about where “we stand on this issue. It is of paramount importance to us.”

Addressing the nuclear deal, Price stated that Washington is pursuing an agreement that provides verifiable and permanent limits on Iran’s nuclear program and will desist in all efforts to secure a safe return of US who are detained inside Iran.

The US administration had launched indirect talks with the Iranian regime, via Swiss mediation, to release US citizens detained in Iran.

Iran is accused of arresting US citizens and using them as hostages for political gain, as it is holding now more than five citizens with dual nationalities, including the businessman Emad Sharghi, who was convicted a few weeks before Biden took office on fabricated charges of espionage.

Former US National Security Adviser Robert O'Brien concluded a deal to release US detainee, Xiyue Wang, who was studying the Persian language in Iran and was arrested in August 2016 on espionage.

The US administration and the family of FBI agent Robert Levinson believe he died in detention in Iran. He disappeared 10 years ago on Kish island.

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World

‘Stay Home!’: Tourists Find Themselves in a France Convulsed by Protests

A car burns at Republique square during a protest against rising living costs, joining students' grievances, in Paris, Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026. (AP)
A car burns at Republique square during a protest against rising living costs, joining students' grievances, in Paris, Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026. (AP)
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‘Stay Home!’: Tourists Find Themselves in a France Convulsed by Protests

A car burns at Republique square during a protest against rising living costs, joining students' grievances, in Paris, Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026. (AP)
A car burns at Republique square during a protest against rising living costs, joining students' grievances, in Paris, Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026. (AP)

Upon arriving at a blockaded and closed Louvre after a more than 20-hour plane journey from Australia, Anne Boland had advice for tourists planning to visit Paris.

"Stay home!" the 73-year-old pensioner told AFP on Monday outside the world's most visited museum, after a weekend of unrest that rocked some of the French capital's most iconic streets and squares.

She was one of thousands of visitors scrambling to navigate the City of Light as marches, traffic delays and wafting tear gas snarl the capital's 14-billion-euro ($16-billion) tourism industry.

A small group of protesters was blocking the entrance to the Louvre's famous glass pyramid, following days of mass protests that also spilled into some of the worst street violence France has seen in recent years.

Cycling through the city the day before, expecting charming Haussmann buildings, mansard roofs and corner cafes, Peter, a Dutch tourist, found himself touring a "war zone".

"It was terrible -- debris from fires everywhere, glass on the pavement," the 63-year-old, who declined to give his last name, said.

Some shrugged off the disruptions. But almost all seemed caught off guard upon arriving at the Louvre, their plans suddenly cancelled.

Turned away, many resorted to selfies and photos in front of the former palace.

Roughly half a million people turned out across France on Saturday to denounce the surging cost of living, a culmination of earlier protests led by high school students demanding better conditions at their schools.

The Yellow Vests movement, which organized the weekend's rallies, has called for more protests this coming Saturday, as the government mulls partial, targeted curfews.

- 'A disaster' -

The closure of the Louvre meant just one more detour for Anne and her husband Pat Boland, also 73, whose airline lost their luggage during the voyage.

"It's just a disaster," said Pat with a laugh.

"We were here at this exact spot seven years ago, and the queues were too long," said Anne.

Having visited the museum twice, she's yet to go inside.

"We don't want to get involved. We want to stand back and get away from them," Pat said of the protests.

"But we don't want to go against them either," Anne hastened to add, noting a trend of cost-of-living protests cropping up across the world recently, including in Ireland and Australia.

At the weekend, taxi drivers at Charles de Gaulle international airport warned arriving passengers that they might not be able to make it to their destination if protesters blocked their routes.

A headline in a newspaper in Wales, in the UK, wondered if France would be safe for families to visit for the upcoming school holiday, and the US embassy called on its nationals to exercise caution.

But many in the city carried on in typical Parisian style: a video broadcast by America's CBS news showed a couple drinking on a city terrace, unfazed by a nearby fire in the road.

"We haven't seen anything concerning," said Glenda Manna, 62, a university professor in town from the United States.

But as the protests capture the attention of news channels -- and politicians -- around the world, there are incessant messages from family members back home pleading with them to "tell me you're safe," added her mother, Dorothy Hill, 82.

World

Iran Says US Responsible for ‘Insecurity’ in Hormuz Strait

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, right, and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov shake hands after their meeting at Iran's Foreign Ministry in Tehran, Iran, Monday, Oct. 19, 2026. (AP)
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, right, and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov shake hands after their meeting at Iran's Foreign Ministry in Tehran, Iran, Monday, Oct. 19, 2026. (AP)
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Iran Says US Responsible for ‘Insecurity’ in Hormuz Strait

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, right, and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov shake hands after their meeting at Iran's Foreign Ministry in Tehran, Iran, Monday, Oct. 19, 2026. (AP)
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, right, and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov shake hands after their meeting at Iran's Foreign Ministry in Tehran, Iran, Monday, Oct. 19, 2026. (AP)

Iran's top diplomat on Monday accused the United States of being responsible for the "insecurity" in the Strait of Hormuz, which has been at the heart of the conflict between the foes.

"The war imposed by the United States and the Zionist regime (Israel), combined with the economic blockade, constitutes the principal source of insecurity in our region," said Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, having previously referred to "the Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz".

He was speaking during a joint press conference with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov, who arrived in Tehran earlier Monday, in his first visit since the outbreak of the Middle East war as Moscow seeks to play a mediating role.

Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said on Sunday that the trip would focus on "regional and international developments".

Lavrov was scheduled to meet Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and hold talks with his counterpart Abbas Araghchi, according to the Russian foreign ministry.

The veteran diplomat has said Moscow's efforts are "aimed at preventing the return of a large-scale war", with talks stalled between Tehran and Washington.

His visit comes after Russian President Vladimir Putin told Pezeshkian in early October that Moscow was prepared to contribute to mediation efforts.

Russia and Iran, two of the most heavily sanctioned nations in the world, maintain close ties. Their military and economic cooperation has only increased since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

The Middle East war began in February with US-Israeli strikes on Iran. Despite a ceasefire in April, followed by a US-Iran memorandum of understanding in June, hostilities in and around the Strait of Hormuz have not stopped.

Iran claims control over the strategic waterway -- through which one-fifth of the world's hydrocarbons pass in normal times -- and regularly targets vessels that cross without its authorization.

In response, Washington has been maintaining a naval counter-blockade on Iranian ports.

The Russian foreign ministry said discussions during Lavrov's visit were expected to focus on "ways to resolve the acute international crisis triggered by the unlawful aggression of the US and Israel against Iran".

The ministry said the war had been a blow to stability and security "not only in the near and Middle East, but also on a global scale".

World

Carney Says Cause of Fire at Alberta Military Base Still Unknown

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney speaks about the incident at CFB Wainwright as he rises in the House of Commons in Ottawa, Monday, Oct. 19, 2026. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press via AP)
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney speaks about the incident at CFB Wainwright as he rises in the House of Commons in Ottawa, Monday, Oct. 19, 2026. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press via AP)
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Carney Says Cause of Fire at Alberta Military Base Still Unknown

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney speaks about the incident at CFB Wainwright as he rises in the House of Commons in Ottawa, Monday, Oct. 19, 2026. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press via AP)
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney speaks about the incident at CFB Wainwright as he rises in the House of Commons in Ottawa, Monday, Oct. 19, 2026. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press via AP)

Canada’s ‌Prime Minister Mark Carney said Monday the cause of a fire that killed at least four military members and injured dozens of others in Alberta on Saturday is still not known.

In an address to Parliament, Carney said soldiers and reserve members ‌were conducting ‌live-fire exercises at ‌an ⁠army base in Wainwright ⁠while a fire was burning in the training area.

“Driven by ferocious winds, the fire jumped nearly a kilometer in less than a minute to ⁠where soldiers were gathered,” Carney ‌said.

He ‌added 50 investigators are currently on the ‌ground, from the army and ‌the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, to determine how the disaster happened.

"This loss touches every corner of ‌the nation," Carney said.

Officials said 39 people remain hospitalized, with ⁠19 ⁠people in critical condition. The soldiers and reserve members were preparing to deploy to Latvia, where Canadian forces have their largest international military operation.

The incident comes as Albertans vote Monday in a referendum about whether residents want to pursue a legally binding vote on seceding from Canada.