Four of five US prisoners still in Iran

Mohammad Javad Zarif says the report will mark “Implementation Day”, when world powers provide Iran with billions of dollars in sanctions relief in exchange for it curbing its nuclear program. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, also gunning for the Republican nomination, said he was anxious about the deal that allowed the prisoners to come home, but said he welcomed them home with open arms.

Naghmeh met with President Obama in January of a year ago when he visited Boise.

Judicial authorities were adept, however, at making announcements or staging hearings during sensitive periods of the nuclear negotiations.

They were released in less than 24 hours after Kerry intervened with Zarif in multiple telephone calls that administration officials hailed as a channel of communication opened because of the nuclear negotiations. The nuclear agreement “accelerated” the prisoner swap, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said.

Saturday was also a historic day in the nuclear agreement with Iran – economic sanctions were lifted as global inspectors said Iran was complying with the agreements.

But much of the diplomatic heavy lifting was handled by Brett McGurk, a State Department envoy with broad Middle Eastern experience. “Once we receive more details and can confirm Jason has safely left Iran, we will have more to share”, Mr Ryan said. In 2012, he tried to enter Iran to see his parents but his passport was taken and he was put under house arrest and later put in prison, his wife said. They spoke about the prisoner exchange on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss it publicly. “We whittled down the list to exclude anyone that was charged with crime related to violence, with terrorism”.

It’s unclear if they will leave the USA for Iran.

Here’s a look at the other prisoners freed Saturday.

“There are some critics… that just can’t acknowledge anything good that comes from this administration”, Huffman said.

There was no official confirmation from the United States.

Idaho Senator Mike Crapo released a statement today regarding Saeed’s release saying, “Iran’s holding of Pastor Abedini was outrageous and it was far past time for him to be released”. “We insisted that he be in the mix as well”, a U.S. official said.

The prisoner exchange included Rezaian, Saeed Abedini, a pastor, Amir Hekmati, a former U.S. Marine and Nosratollah Khosavi-Roodsari.

A fifth detained American, student Matthew Trevithick, will also be released, but US officials says it’s unrelated to the prisoner swap.

Pastor Saeed, an American citizen, had been imprisoned in Iran for over 3 years.

Mr. Abedini and his wife regularly travelled to Iran on Christian mission work until 2009. He has been detained since 2012.

Robert Levinson, a former Federal Bureau of Investigation agent and DEA agent, who disappeared in Iran since 2007, was not among those released by Iran, according to the list of names broadcast by Iranian television. United States officials have believed for several years that Levinson died in captivity. The most honest explanation of his imprisonment came in media accounts that accused him of conspiring to improve relations between the United States and Iran, something that Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has sworn to prevent.

“The United States has considerable leverage with Iran right now to press that point, and we urge you to continue to do so”, the letter said. That sentence was overturned and then he was re-convicted on a different charge of aiding the enemy and sentenced to 10 years.

Iran and the USA have agreed to a prisoner swap. It was not known how many of them, if any, would go back.

In contrast, Rubio said, the people the administration intends to grant clemency to “were convicted in a court of law after due process of helping violate sanctions”.

Androphy said the pardon covered Mechanich and Tooraj Faridi, both of Houston, and Khosro Afghahi of Los Angeles. Six had dual citizenship.