Iran Frees Princeton Graduate Student For US-Held Scientist

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP/CBS) -- A Princeton graduate student, who was imprisoned in Iran for more than three years, was freed Saturday. The U.S. and Iran have conducted a prisoner swap in a rare diplomatic breakthrough amid high tensions between Tehran and Washington.

The trade happened on Saturday in Zurich, Switzerland.

It saw Iranian officials hand over Chinese-American graduate student Xiyue Wang, detained in Tehran since 2016, for scientist Massoud Soleimani, who had faced a federal trial in Georgia.

Wang was held on espionage charges, which his family strongly denies.

Iran's foreign minister welcomed the swap, as did U.S. President Donald Trump. Western detainees from the U.S. and elsewhere remain held by Tehran. They are likely to be used as bargaining chips for future negotiations amid Iran's unraveling nuclear deal with world powers.

(©Copyright 2019 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)