New Zealand said Wednesday two of its nationals had safely left Iran after being detained for several months.
Officials gave few details and did not identify the couple involved, but media reports identified them as travel bloggers Bridget Thackwray and Topher Richwhite.
The pair last posted on their social media feeds in early July.
“Some New Zealanders who weren’t able to leave Iran have now left,” Deputy Prime Minister Grant Robertson told reporters.
Robertson said there was “no deal” with Iran, and New Zealand gave Iran “nothing in return.”
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said in a video posted on Facebook that her government had been “working very hard to see them able to exit Iran,” and called it “an incredibly difficult situation.”
New Zealand also updated its travel warnings on Wednesday, urging New Zealanders in Iran to leave the country and telling others not to travel there due to security, civil unrest, and the potential for detention.
Some information for this report came from Agence France-Presse and Reuters.
