Iran scientist returns home after US release

Iranian scientist Majid Taheri returned to the Islamic republic on Monday after his release from jail in the United States last week, semi-official news agency ISNA reported.

Taheri was greeted at Tehran's Imam Khomeini International Airport by deputy foreign minister Hossein Jaberi Ansari, said ISNA, which published a picture of the pair speaking to reporters.

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Tensions have soared in recent months as Trump pursued a "maximum pressure" campaign against Iran, imposing sweeping sanctions and in January ordering a drone strike that killed a top Iranian general.

Observers have seen prisoner releases as a rare way of starting dialogue between the two countries, although few expect any serious headway before the US election in November.