UPDATE - Iran releases Lebanese convicted as US spy

UPDATES WITH ZAKKA’S REMARK, ADDS LEBANESE SECURITY OFFICIAL'S STATEMENT

By Abdul Jabbar Abu Ras and Wassim Saif al-Din

TEHRAN/BEIRUT (AA) - Iran released a Lebanese citizen charged with spying for the U.S., a judicial spokesman said on Tuesday.

Gholam Hossein Ismaili, an Iranian judicial spokesman, said Tuesday that the Iranian Judiciary received a request for the conditional release of Zakka and handing him over to his country, according to the official IRNA news agency.

He said Zakka's release came at the request of Lebanese President Michel Aoun and confirmation from Hezbollah group that he will not commit a crime after his release.

The Iranian spokesman said Zakka has been handed over to representatives of the Lebanese state.

Released earlier on Tuesday, Zakka arrived at Beirut International Airport accompanied by Lebanon’s General Security Directorate Abbas Ibrahim, according to a Lebanese security source.

After arriving in Berut, Zakka told reporters that the charges he faced were “false”.

Zakka will directly head to Beirut’s Baabda Palace to meet with the Lebanese president, in order to thank him for his efforts in his release, a Lebanese security source told Anadolu Agency anonymously due to restrictions on speaking to the media.

Meanwhile, Zakka’s family already arrived at the presidential palace to thank Aoun, Anadolu Agency correspondent in Beirut reported.

Ibrahim told a press conference in Beirut that the Iranian authorities responded to Aoun's request and acted according to their promise to release Zakka.

Zakka, who also holds a U.S. permanent residency, was arrested in 2015 on charges of spying for the U.S. after attending a conference in Tehran called by an Iranian lawmaker.

Zakka was convicted of espionage charges and sentenced to 10 years in prison.

The release came amid tensions between the U.S. and Iran since President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew Washington from the 2015 deal with Tehran to curb its nuclear program.