Abedini was taken into custody on November 22 while boarding a flight to Washington, DC, where he was scheduled to attend the annual meeting of the Middle East Studies Association (MESA).
His detention was first reported by Joshua Landis, director of the Center for Middle East Studies and the Center for Iranian Studies at the University of Oklahoma.
Landis said Abedini holds a valid H-1B visa, a non-immigrant work visa issued to individuals in “specialty occupations,” including higher education, and described the arrest as unjustified.
He added that the scholar was transferred to a detention facility before being released.
Prominent Iranian-American academic Vali Nasr of Johns Hopkins University also reacted to the incident, calling Abedini “a respected researcher and teacher” and urging his immediate release and return to campus.
Following growing concern from colleagues and students, Abedini’s associates confirmed his release on Tuesday, though US authorities have not publicly commented on the reasons for the detention.
