Amir said today he was “very humbled at everybody’s support, from the president, to Congress, to my fellow Marines and especially my family, who have really gone through so much throughout this time”.
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Asked how Hekmati felt about being part of a swap, when he had said he did not want to be part of any such deal because he was innocent of the charges against him, Kildee acknowledged that Hekmati “felt it was critical he did not accept as part of his freedom any concession” but said the diplomatic outcome of the agreement was fair. When ex-Marine Amir Hekmati addressed reporters Tuesday for the first time after being released from an Iranian prison, he said that he stayed strong through “very inhumane and unjust” “pressures” in detention because he “didn’t want to let any of my fellow Marines down”.
One of the American prisoners freed over the weekend by Iran has told reporters he feels as though he has been “born again”.
Jason Rezaian, the Washington Post reporter who was a part of the prisoner exchange between the U.S. and Iran on Saturday ahead of the Iran nuclear deal’s implementation, says he can’t wait to watch the NBA’s Golden State Warriors and catch the new “Star Wars” movie now that he’s back in the US.
“This is all so surreal and we’re just soaking it all in right now”, Hekmati said, adding his release had come as a surprise. US officials have said they are not sure if he is still alive.
An image from video shows Amir Hekmati flanked by Rep. Dan Kildee, D-Mich. “This has been going on far too long”.
“He continues to be in great spirits, his health is sound, he’s going through a process and it’s going to take a few more days, but Jason’s on track to get his life back”, Huffman said. “This has really been an exceptional time for me”.
Amir hasn’t made any long-term decisions on what he’ll do after he returns to the U.S., Kildee said.
According to Secretary of State John Kerry, the money Naqdi is referring to is supposedly going to be paid to the Iranian government by the U.S.to settle a debt over a military fund that existed between the us and the former shah, who ruled Iran prior to the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Kildee hailed the agreement that led to the prisoner release as “a victory for diplomacy”.
“So up until the last second we were all anxious and concerned”, he said.
Iran never responded to queries from the group, which is charged with investigating cases of arbitrary detention and allegations of illegal treatment of prisoners.
Hekmati said his time with the Marines helped him endure.
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The Swiss government plane carrying Hekmati and two others out of the country sat on the tarmac for several hours as government officials worked to clear up a last-minute issue. Also present were Hekmati’s twin sister, Leila, and Sarah Hekmati’s husband, Ramy Kurdi.
