The U.S. and Iranian governments on Saturday announced a prisoner exchange that saw the release of four Americans held in Iran: Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian, former U.S. Marine Amir Hekmati, pastor Saeed Abedini and Nosratollah Khosravi-Roodsari, whose name had not been previously made public.
Advertisement
It’s unclear if these individuals will leave the US for Iran.
Three of the prisoners – Jason Rezaian, Amir Hekmati and Saeed Abedini – left Iran Sunday morning, and the State Department confirmed they landed in Germany later that day. The hospital is near the US military’s Ramstein Air Base.
MARTIN: You know, there seems to have been a lot less reported about the Iranians being held in the U.S. In fact, I think this might be the first time a lot of Americans understood that there were people – Iranians held in the U.S. Can you just tell us a little bit about what their cases were all about?
Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton praised both the prisoner release and the implementation of the nuclear pact.
By Tom Strong in Washington.
A statement from the judiciary said the swap had been ordered by the Supreme National Security Council, the nation’s top security committee, in line with national interests.
At critical points in the nuclear negotiations, Iranian authorities would make often contradictory comments about Rezaian’s status.
“He’s as American as anybody that was born in the country”.
That is significant because Salehi was detained at the same time as Rezaian in July 2014.
He was convicted in closed proceedings previous year after being charged with espionage and related allegations.
“For the past 18 months the Post has lobbied for the release of Rezaian, its Tehran correspondent”.
The Swiss foreign minister said the prisoner swap – involving four Americans and seven Iranians – followed 14 months of confidential discussions in Switzerland.
USA prosecutors have filed a motion to drop charges against Matin Sadeghi, who is out of the country.
A fifth American was released separately from the exchange.
A federal judge in San Francisco sentenced Ghahreman to more than six years in prison last year for evading Iran sanctions and money laundering. They believe he was targeted because he converted from Islam to Christianity and say he endured repeated beatings by guards and fellow inmates at Rajai Shahr prison outside Tehran. “He is a good man, and we are happy to put this ordeal behind him”.
“Freeing Khosrow Afghahi is the correct result”, Gerger said.
Iraq has welcomed the implementation of a historic nuclear deal between Iran and world powers, saying it will have a positive impact across the Middle East. “Every time we show weakness it is a victory for Iran”, he said at a town hall, according to Reuters.
Six of the seven hold dual citizenship in Iran and the United States, and were charged or convicted of attempting to evade the Iran trade embargo, the Justice Department said.
Barely 24 hours later, following phone calls between US Secretary of State John Kerry and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, the sailors were released – with officials claiming that the nuclear negotiations had helped to open channels of communication.
He said his client plans to continue living in Houston.
Ban was speaking in Dubai at the opening of an event about improving the delivery of worldwide humanitarian aid.
Kerry said the nuclear agreement provided the key impetus. Unlike the others, he’s not Iranian-American. “But we shouldn’t thank Iran for the prisoners or for following through on its obligations”, she said in a statement.
But the deal bogged down in Tehran and never went through. But as you say, there are critics who will say the Obama administration made a bad bargain here and gave up too much.
Iranian President Hasan Rouhani has presented parliament with a draft budget that would reduce the government’s reliance on oil revenues. For Iran, the move lifts Western economic sanctions that have been in place for years, unlocking access to $100 billion in frozen assets and unleashing new opportunities for its battered economy. But he grew disillusioned with his Islamic faith and converted to Christianity in 2000 when he was 20 years old.
Advertisement
The proposed budget predicts an exchange rate of $1 US dollar to 29,970 Iranian rials. He was in Iran building an orphanage, Sekulow said.
