Americans freed by Iran arrive in Germany

“Pastor Abedini’s children haven’t seen their daddy in over three years”, Pittenger said Sunday.

Hekmati, a former U.S. Marine visiting relatives in Iran, was captured by Iranian officials, accused of being a spy and initially sentenced to death, although that was later changed to a sentence of 10 years in prison.

The proposed budget predicts an exchange rate of $1 USA dollar to 29,970 Iranian rials.

During almost a dozen meetings to discuss a possible prisoner swap, Kerry said he urged their release on humanitarian grounds although he anxious that the prisoner release could be complicated by Iranian politics. Bahram Mechanich and Tooraj Faridi, both of Houston, and Khosro Afghahi, of Los Angeles, were released along with four other Iranians held in other parts of the U.S., Mechanich’s attorney Joel Androphy said.

The editorial noted that the four American-Iranian dual citizens that were held by Iran were exchanged for seven Iranians serving time in American jails, as well as an American promise to drop pursuit of fourteen other individuals.

Government spokesman Saad al-Hadithi told The Associated Press on Sunday that Iraq believes the deal “will be a catalyst for beginning to solve a number of disputes in the region peacefully and through dialogue”.

US administration officials confirmed the news Saturday following reports first published in Iranian media.

As a result, at least some global economic sanctions against Iran were lifted. He had been sentenced to eight years in prison.

The released prisoners landed in Germany after a brief stopover in Geneva.

The deal also saw Washington dismiss charges against 14 other Iranians.

Kildee and members of the Hekmati family are traveling out of Detroit Sunday evening to Frankfurt, Germany and will meet with Amir on Monday.

“Asked how he was doing, he said, ‘I’m a hell of a lot better than I was 48 hours ago.’ He said that he feels better than he did several months ago and that his mind is sharp”.

Three of the four USA citizens freed by Iran in a prisoner swap arrived in Germany on Sunday, a U.S. official said, where they were expected at an American military base. “They’re beside themselves”, she said.

Rezaian’s brother Ali said “Jason’s release has brought indescribable relief and joy to our family – this nightmare is approaching an end”.

“Think about the party we’re going to have, I mean I know for example, right now who my guest will be at the next State of the Union address, no matter who the president is, my next guest will be Amir Hekmati”, he said. “Because it all became real”, the congressman told CNN.

“As many of you know, Amir’s father is very ill and soon he will embrace his son once more”, the family statement said.

Speaking in Vienna, US Secretary of State John Kerry, who had held talks with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, said the world is “safer because the threat of the nuclear weapon has been reduced”.

Separately, Robert Levinson disappeared in Iran in 2007 while working for the CIA on an unapproved intelligence mission. “Rather than acknowledge what they had done and try to save Bob’s life, they denied him”.

The Post statement said the paper was “enormously grateful to all who played a role” in securing Rezaian’s release, and the paper thanked those “around the world who have spoken out on Jason’s behalf and against the harsh confinement that was so wrongly imposed upon him”.

There was no immediate confirmation from the USA government that the other Americans involved in the swap had left Iran.