Freed American condemns Iran for holding foreigners hostage | First Thing

Siamak Namazi was held in Iran's notorious Evin prison for nearly eight years before the $6bn prisoner swap on Monday. Plus, New York City's $52bn plan to save itself from the sea

Good morning.

An American citizen freed in an exchange deal after being imprisoned for nearly eight years in Iran has urged the US government to launch a gamechanging global endeavour" to end the Islamic regime's longstanding practice of holding foreign nationals hostage.

What did Namazi say? Over the past 44 years, the Iranian regime has mastered the nasty game of caging innocent Americans and other foreign nationals, and commercialising their freedom," he said after flying from Tehran to Doha, calling Evin prison a dystopian United Nations of hostages".

What has India said? India's ministry of external affairs said it rejected statements by Trudeau and his foreign minister, adding that allegations of India's involvement in any act of violence in Canada were absurd and motivated". The ministry added: We are a democratic polity with a strong commitment to rule of law."