[5][6] In 2018, an Iranian Presidential Commission composed of Cabinet Ministers appointed by Iranian President Rouhani investigated allegations of spying[7] and concluded that the facts do not support the claims against Tahbaz or his colleagues.
Iranian Lawmaker Mahmud Sadeghi said that Tabhaz and his colleagues did nothing wrong and “must be freed soon.”[8] In November 2019, the Iranian judiciary sentenced Tahbaz to 10 years in prison for "contacts with the US enemy government.
"[9] In June 2020 and on the occasion of World Environment Day, US Department of State called for the release of Morad Tahbaz.
In a video message, Brian Hook encouraged governments to join this call to end the detention of Tahbaz and his colleagues.
[12] He was ultimately freed from imprisonment in Iran on September 18, 2023, as part of an Iran–United States prisoner release mediated by Qatar.