( LatWp ) - Iran Tuesday returned the passport of American journalist Parnaz Azima, who had been detained in Tehran since arriving to visit her ailing mother on Jan. 25, according to her family and her employer, Radio Farda.
Azima, who was charged with spreading propaganda against the Iranian government, is expected to fly out of Iran within the next day and arrive in Washington by week's end, they said.
Her release comes a day after Washington scholar Haleh Esfandiari was allowed to leave Iran after eight months of detention and imprisonment. The two moves may indicate interest by Tehran in resolving the crisis over five Americans, four of them dual nationals, who have been detained, imprisoned or missing in Iran, heightening tensions between the two countries.
The decisions by the government of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad also come just three weeks before he is due to visit New York for the opening of the United Nations General Assembly. One of the key issues for discussion at the session is whether to impose a third round of punitive sanctions on Tehran for failing to comply with Security Council mandates to halt the enrichment of uranium, a process that can be used for both peaceful nuclear energy and to develop nuclear weapons.
Azima is a correspondent for Radio Farda, the Persian-language service of U.S.-funded Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.
"We're extraordinarily pleased that she's finally able to get out," said Martin Zvaners, the organization's associate director of communications. Azima, who was based at Radio Farda offices in Prague, is expected to fly to Washington to see a grandchild born over the Labor Day weekend.
Azima also needs medical attention, according to Jeff Trimble, counselor to the president of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.
"She was undergoing medical treatment when she rushed to Iran to be with her mother," he said. Her future assignment will depend on whether she is comfortable going back to Prague.
An Iranian judge also said Tuesday that New York-based social scientist Kian Tajbakhsh will be released on bail as soon as the investigation into his case is completed, according to Reuters. Tajbakhsh was working with Iranian ministries on HIV/AIDS and other health issues. He is a consultant with George Soros' Open Society Institute, and his wife is due to give birth in the next few weeks.
Another dual national being held is California businessman Ali Shakeri, who was picked up at the airport and detained on the same day as Esfandiari. He was in Tehran to visit his mother, who was ill and died during his visit.
Former FBI agent Robert Levinson disappeared during a visit to Iran's Kish Island in March. Despite Iranian denials, U.S. officials said they think he is still in the Islamic Republic.