A fifth prisoner, the American student Matthew Trevithick, was released separately from the other four on Saturday. There were no additional details.
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‘If people want to say that they were for leaving these Americans in prison, they should say so. “We don’t make that judgment”.
That is: Team Obama timed this news to take the sting out of a wildly unpopular move – playing politics with a hostage release.
Since his arrest in July 2014, Rezaian had become the highest-profile dual Iranian-American citizen held in Tehran’s Evin Prison, particularly as the nuclear talks were unfolding.
“We are relieved that this 545-day nightmare for Jason and his family is finally over”, publisher Frederick J. Ryan, Jr.
“He found escape in the fiction he was allowed to read, and today he was avidly reading whatever he wanted”, the Post memo said, adding that Rezaian found isolation the most hard thing about his ordeal.
“When Americans are freed and reunited with their families, that’s something that we can all celebrate”, Obama said Sunday, hailing the returns of Abedini, Hekmati and Rezaian. The 69-year-old is accused of violating USA trade sanctions, having an Iran based company with a sister company based in the city of Houston. Mechanic has dual citizenship but lives in Houston.
Also, on Saturday U.S. President Barack Obama signed an executive order listing economic sanctions against Iran.
Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani, a moderate whose 2013 election victory helped launch a huge diplomatic effort toward the deal struck on July 14 in Vienna, said the implementation was a crucial moment for his country.
“We thank everyone for your thoughts during this time”, the Hekmati family said on Twitter. The agreement puts Iran’s various nuclear activities under IAEA watch for up to 15 years, with an option to re-impose sanctions should Tehran break its commitments.
The exchange comes amid a thawing of tensions between the two nations as the nuclear deal is officially activated.
The Swiss foreign ministry earlier announced that three of the four United States citizens freed by Iran in a prisoner swap after more than a year of secret negotiations on Swiss soil were due to arrive in Switzerland.
Two congressmen were headed to Germany to greet Rezaian and Hekmati.
Iranian-American Washington Post correspondent Jason Rezaian. “And in fact some of them weren’t even charged”, Rubio said in the interview. There is hope “that having Amir back gives him some strength”. “Because it all became real”, the congressman told CNN.
“I’ve met with some of the families”.
Iran has also agreed to investigate the whereabouts of retired Federal Bureau of Investigation agent Robert Levinson, who disappeared in Iran in 2007. The Iranians have always denied knowing his location. “But once again, Bob Levinson has been left behind”.
Huffman said the freed prisoners won’t be on USA soil for a few days, he said.
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The official IRNA news agency named the seven freed Iranians as Nader Modanlou, Bahram Mekanik, Khosrow Afqahi, Arash Qahreman, Touraj Faridi, Nima Golestaneh and Ali Sabouni.
