Reporter Freed in Iranian Prisoner Swap

Three of the four United States citizens freed by Iran in a prisoner swap were headed to a USA military base in Germany after a brief stop in Geneva, a Swiss foreign ministry spokesman told AFP on Sunday.

Saboonchi had been convicted of unlawfully exporting goods to Iran in violation of worldwide sanctions and was serving a 2-year sentence.

U.S official say they will dismiss any charges againist the “14 Iranians for whom it was assessed that extradition requests were unlikely to be successful”. More than 540,000 people signed a Change.org petition demanding Rezaian’s release, and social media campaigns using #FreeJason trended at various times over the course of his incarceration.

“The U.S. stuck to its guns”, he added. In March 2015, boxing great Muhammad Ali called for Rezaian’s release.

He was a mechanical engineer with science and engineering degrees from George Washington University.

“If the United States goes down that path, that would be very detrimental to the agreement”, he said.Marandi said that given the USA sanctions and attitude toward Iran, Iran has to remain cautious.

World powers have voiced their suspicions for years that Iran was trying to build nuclear weapons, although Tehran said its nuclear program was intended for peaceful purposes.

The technology Mechanic sold to Iran is used in a wide range of military systems, including surface-air and cruise missiles. They fear Iran could become more daring in its interventions in the conflicts in Iraq, Syria and Yemen. Among the parts shipped were microelectronics and digital signal processors, according to the indictment. His attorney, KTRK legal analyst Joel Androphy, claims the government believed he was a threat to national security but had no evidence. “The government created an aura of hysteria to keep him incarcerated”. It said that after landing in Switzerland – it didn’t specify where – the five passengers will continue to a USA base in Germany. “And we are going to remain vigilant about it”.

Speaking before the parliament in comments broadcast live on state television, Rouhani said, “In (implementing) the deal, all are happy except Zionists, warmongers, sowers of discord among Islamic nations and extremists in the U.S. The rest are happy”.

Hekmati was arrested in Iran in 2011 while visiting his grandparents. It finally took off on Sunday morning.

He said that Afghahi is getting to “spend precious time with his family. and probably have his first cup of hot coffee in nine months”.

Faridi, of Houston, was vice president of Smart Power Systems and was accused of participating in the alleged scheme. OFAC also issued a statement that “establishes a favorable licensing policy” for the sale of aircraft and spare parts to Iran, provided the transactions don’t involve someone still under US sanctions.

“There is always a reaction for every action”. He faced charges of violating the embargo and money laundering, among other counts.

Rezaian, the Tehran correspondent for the Washington Post, was convicted of espionage-related crimes by an Iranian court past year.

America’s thaw with Iran is viewed with deep suspicion by U.S. Republicans as well as allies of Washington in the Middle East, including Israel and Saudi Arabia.

A maritime engineer, Ghahreman also worked at shipyards in the U.S.

USA officials have said the Treasury planned to announce the penalties in late December, but held off afterIran’s foreign minister said they could have derailed the prisoner exchange that took place this weekend.

Rouhani said his country needs up to $50 billion in foreign investment per year to reach its goal of eight-percent annual growth. He was the only Iranian released Saturday who doesn’t have dual citizenship.