Now free, Jason Rezaian wants to catch up with Warriors

While noting the “grace and dignity” Hekmati carries himself with even after the ordeal, U.S. Rep. Dan Kildee, D-Mich., added that “anyone who meets him would recognize this is a person coming out of something that’s really hard”.

“The hospitality, chocolates, veal was served” aboard the private jet provided by the Swiss, who handle American diplomatic affairs with Iran.

Kildee said Tuesday he received a message from Hekmati’s older sister, Sarah, during Monday’s press event with his fellow representatives, asking the congressman to join the family in its reunion with Hekmati. “I’m glad to be here, and I appreciate everyone’s support”.

In a statement released by The Post, Publisher Frederick J. Ryan Jr. said: “We are pleased that the U.N. Working Group has recognized that Iran had no legitimate basis for arresting Jason, let alone imprisoning him for 18 months”.

“I’ve spent a lot of my life writing about the United States and Iran, and I never imagined – and never wanted – to become a part of the story, particularly at such an extraordinary moment”, Rezaian said in a statement from Landstuhl, Germany, where he is undergoing medical tests at a USA military hospital.

Hekmati said there was no warning that he would be released.

He said he had reached a point “where I had just sort of accepted the fact that I was going to be spending 10 years in prison”.

The Americans’ flight from Iran was delayed because of confusion over the whereabouts of Rezaian’s wife and mother, whom US officials had insisted be part of the release deal.

“It will not be easy – this transition will be tough”, said Kildee, who has worked to secure Hekmati’s freedom.

Rezaian was one of five USA citizens freed by Iran this past Sunday as part of a prisoner swap. He expressed gratitude to President Barack Obama, U.S. Congress and his other supporters, reserving special thanks for the U.S. Marine Corps.

In his written statement, he said “I hope everyone will respect my need for privacy as I take some time for myself and for my family”. Hekmati said he went to Iran to visit family and spend time with his ailing grandmother. “I feel really lucky”. Freed after more than four years of imprisonment, Hekmati says he feels like he’s been born again. “They just came one morning and said, pack your things”, he said, adding that he “did not relax until we were outside of Iranian air space”.

Diplomats involved in the negotiations have pointed to the urgency of the Americans’ cases, including fears that Jason Rezaian faced punishments ranging from 10 to 20 years in prison to the possibility of a death sentence. “I can’t wait to get home”.

Another former prisoner in Iran, Christian pastor Saeed Abedini, 35, was set to arrive in Atlanta and then fly to Asheville, North Carolina on Thursday to be reunited with members of his family over the next several days, his wife told Reuters.