The family of a detained US permanent resident left out of a hostage release deal between Iran and the United States demand fair treatment.

On the fifth day of a sit-in protest that has moved from outside the White House to the US State Department's premises, the family of Shahab Dalili, is calling for his release as part of the Tehran-Washington agreement.

On Monday, Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel of the US State Department addressed the situation during a press conference, casting doubt on whether Dalili's case falls under the category of "wrongfully detained.”

Dalili, a former captain of Iran Shipping Company and a US resident, was arrested during a trip to Tehran in 2016 for his father's funeral, after which he was apprehended by Iranian security forces.

Patel said, “and what I would say in the case of Mr. Dalili is that that case has not yet been determined wrongfully detained. We obviously don’t discuss the specific details of individual cases who have not been deemed wrongfully detained.”

This contradicts previous remarks by US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, who said on August 19ththat there were no other American citizens imprisoned in Iran apart from the five known detainees.

Shahab Dalili's son, Darin Dalili, expressed disappointment and disagreement with the Deputy Spokesperson's statement, deeming it "incorrect." In response to the family's concerns, Patel clarified that the US was actively investigating Dalili's case and had engaged in discussions with the family regarding his situation.

Undeterred by the conflicting messages, the family continue their sit-in outside the US State Department.