A former US hostage in Iran called on President-elect Joe Biden to put pressure on Tehran and prioritize the issue of releasing American prisoners for his administration.
In an interview with the American "CBS News", the American researcher of Chinese origin, Xiyue Wang, who was recently released from an Iranian prison after spending more than 3 years on allegations of espionage, said that he is "Just a scientist" and that he was targeted because he is an American, adding that there are three Americans still in Tehran's grip.
Wang was released in late 2019 following an exchange deal conducted by US President Donald Trump, according to which Washington released Iranian scientist Masoud Soleimani.
During the interview, Wang said that the Iranian investigator informed him that they had fabricated espionage charges to make a deal with Washington.
The hostage added that the Iranian investigator told him: "You are not the first American to be arrested and charged with espionage, and I can assure you that you will not be the last to be imprisoned in Iran."
"They did not get everything they hoped for," he said, adding that the Iranians want money and the United States to disregard the restrictions on freezing their assets.
He also urged the president-elect to make the release of Americans held hostage in Iran his top priority, saying: "Without their return, there should be no agreement with Tehran."
Joe Biden had pledged to revert to the diplomatic agreement with Iran on its nuclear weapons program, with several conditions.
On the other hand, Suzanne Maloney, director of the Foreign Policy Program at the Brookings Institution, responded by saying, "It should not mean giving up the lives of Americans held in Iranian prisons."
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