American officials didn’t want the citizens used as leverage in the nuclear talks, and didn’t want to lose their possible release if the talks failed to produce an agreement.
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The Office of Foreign Assets Control is blocking the assets of Mabrooka Trading, a company based in the United Arab Emirates, for its role in procuring components for Iran’s ballistic missiles.
Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush called the release “good news”, but suggested the US decision to release Iranian prisoners in exchange amounted to the latest example of “weakness” in the Obama administration’s dealings with Iran.
An informed source told IRINN on Saturday that the names of the released inmates are the Iranian-Americans: Saeed Abedini, Amir Mirzaee Hekmati, Nosratollah Khosravi and Jason Rezaian.
USA officials announced Saturday that a fifth American, student Matthew Trevithick, was recently freed but that his release was unrelated to the swap. Six of them hold dual Iranian and American citizenship, and the seventh is an Iranian.
Obama on Sunday defended the move describing the release as a “reciprocal, humanitarian gesture” that was a one-time event. The US did not free prisoners, it released convicted felons.
US Secretary of State John Kerry told reporters travelling with him from Vienna to Washington that Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif resolved the problem.
He had travelled to the country to take part in an intensive language course. A senior USA official said Trevithick, 30, has already left Iran.
Abedini, who converted from Islam to Christianity, had traveled to Iran in 2012 on a mission to build an orphanage.
Hekmati, a retired Marine from Flint, Mich., was detained in August 2011 on espionage charges.
The detention of Khosravi-Roodsari had not been previously publicized.
The administration has not identified the Iranians who will be granted clemency under the president’s constitutional pardon power. Little else was known about him.
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who has also spoken critically of the Iran deal, similarly said that the United States should not have had to make any concessions to get the Americans released.
Abedini’s wife, Naghmeh Abedini, said in the statement that the release was “an answer to prayer”.
One of the last hiccups that delayed the Americans’ departure was an Iranian military official’s misunderstanding about Rezaian’s wife and mother joining him on the flight. But realistically, there was no other way to get our people back.
Ultimately, the two countries agreed on seven Iranians: three who were serving prison time and four who were awaiting trial.
The seven Iranians freed by the United States are Nader Modanlou, Baharam Mechanic, Khosrow Afghahi, Arash Ghahreman, Tooraj Faridi, Nima Golestaneh, and Ali Saboonchi, according to IRNA and the state broadcaster.
“The tried to kill us”, Cruz said Sunday. He was sentenced in 2013 to eight years in prison.
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After nearly constant conversation over the last few days, they finally did settle it. But even as they celebrate, one American who disappeared in Iran years ago is still missing ABC’s chief white house correspondent Jonathan Karl with new details with the secret negotiations that led to this result. None has been charged or convicted of any terrorism-related or violent crimes, but were instead charged or convicted of crimes related to the evasion of Iranian sanctions.
