Plane Carrying Freed Americans Leaves Iran

A senior US official says the plane carrying Americans who had been imprisoned by Iran has left Tehran. There were no additional details.

As diplomatic maneuvering on the nuclear issue dragged into the night, another source of U.S.-Iranian tension moved toward resolution with officials of both nations announcing the prisoner releases.

Naghmeh released a statement via the ACLJ saying that her husband’s release is an “answer to prayer” and thanking those that have stood with them during this long ordeal.

He added, “After almost a year and a half of arbitrary delays, and an unfair, opaque judicial process, Jason’s release has brought indescribable relief and joy to our family – this nightmare is approaching an end”.

In addition to Rezaian, Amir Hekmati, Pastor Saeed Abedini and Nosratollah Khosravi-Roodsari were also freed, as well as an fifth American whose release was not formally part of the prisoner swap.

The American Christian, who was jailed for his faith three years ago, has been released as part of an exchange.

But Rohani noted bitter opposition to the lifting of economic curbs from arch foe Israel, some members of the U.S. Congress and what he called “warmongers” in the region – an apparent reference to some of Iran’s Gulf Arab adversaries.

On Saturday, Republicans said that Obama should not have given up Iranian prisoners because it made the United States look weak and that the US prisoners should have been released without condition. He spent more than 500 days at Evin Prison.

Abedini has been held by Iranian authorities since 2012.

Presenting the draft budget for the next Iranian fiscal year, which begins in March, Rohani told parliament the deal was a “turning point” for the economy of Iran, a major oil producer which has been virtually shut out of global markets for the past five years.

Iran has freed four prisoners from the United States, including Washington Post journalist Jason Rezaian, Iran’s semi-official FARS news agency reported Saturday, citing Tehran’s prosecutor.

When Rezaian, a 39-year-old dual Iranian and US citizen born and raised in California, was seized in his home with his Iranian wife, Yeganeh Salehi, on July 22, 2014, Iran had recently extended an interim agreement on its nuclear program with the United States.

Executives from 25 news organizations urged Secretary of State John Kerry to push Tehran for Rezaian’s release in a letter this month. They are expected to then go on to a U.S. military facility in Germany. Today Florida Senator Marco Rubio said, “Governments are taking Americans hostage because they believe they can gain concessions from this government under Barack Obama”.

The officials said they would ensure the Americans were in good health and reunited with their families, but declined to discuss further logistics of the transfer because of privacy concerns. There is hope “that having Amir back gives him some strength”.

“This is a critical time for me and my family”, she said in a statement, according to CNN. They also said that as part of the negotiations, the Americans had rescinded global arrest warrants on 14 other Iranians suspected of sanctions violations. Iranian officials have denied knowing his whereabouts. “We should not forget Mr. Levinson and his situation”, Rubio said. “But once again, Bob Levinson has been left behind”, the Levinson family said in a statement.

US and Iranian officials say Iran is releasing four detained Iranian-Americans in exchange for seven Iranians held or charged in the United States.

Reports had previously circulated that Iran was seeking the release of a number of its nationals held in US custody on various charges related to violating sanctions against Iran.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that without Israel’s leadership in promoting the sanctions on Iran, the country would have already been a nuclear power.