Iran releases Americans in prisoner swap

She is a correspondent for The National, a newspaper based in the United Arab Emirates. During the nuclear talks themselves, the White House always tried to keep the hostage issue – or the prisoner issue – separate.

Former Marine Amir Hekmati and pastor Saeed Abedini, who were also freed as part of the swap negotiated by the longtime foes, departed Iran on Sunday as well, according to family members.

The news of the release of Washington Post reporter and Bay Area native Jason Rezaian, who spent the last 18 months in an Iranian prison, is being greeted with an overwhelming sense of relief in the North Bay. As described in Iranian media, the deal does not appear to include Levinson, who is not Iranian-American. They spoke about the prisoner exchange on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss it publicly.

Almost all of the negotiations took place in Geneva, the Americans said, and arrangements for the departure of those freed in Iran had been done by Switzerland, which attends to US interests in Iran in the absence of diplomatic relations. USA student Matthew Trevithick was released in Iran independently of the exchange on Saturday and has already left the country.

In return, the United States is releasing seven people charged with violating sanctions against Iran, U.S. and Iranian officials said.

The administration has not identified the Iranians who will be granted clemency under the president’s constitutional pardon power.

“I knew we were going to get there sometime but I couldn’t tell if it was going to get super-complicated by (another agency) and political dynamics into the mix”. “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.

Iranian state television first announced the prisoner exchange on Saturday.

CNN reports the US government confirms the exchange with Iran is under way after a year of secret negotiations.

One of the last hiccups that delayed the Americans’ departure was an Iranian military official’s misunderstanding about Rezaian’s wife and mother joining him on the flight.

Republicans on Capitol Hill and the campaign trail expressed optimism and happiness Saturday about Iran releasing five US citizens, but continued raising concerns about the nuclear deal with Tehran that is expected to be completed this weekend, which could be connected to the accord.

The man who remained in Iran is Nosratollah Khosravi-Roodsari, whose imprisonment has not previously been reported on and about whom little is known.

Former Marine Hekmati, 32, was detained while visiting an Iranian relative in August 2011 and sentenced to death for espionage. After a higher court ordered a retrial, he was sentenced in 2014 to 10 years on a lesser charge.

Several were released from prison on Sunday, their lawyers confirmed. We have now been officially told that he is on a plance leaving the country. Sarah Hekmati was Kildee’s guest at President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address on Tuesday.

The pastor was jailed in 2012 for reportedly undermining national security, and supporters have said his arrest is due to his conversion to Christianity. In November, he was sentenced to more than 15 months in prison. He was running an orphanage at the time of his most recent arrest.

Not even waiting for the IAEA report, Iranian Transport Minister Abbas Akhondi said his country had reached a deal with the European consortium Airbus to buy 114 passenger planes once the sanctions are lifted.

All the families are rejoicing at the news that their loved ones will soon be home and express gratitude for the public outpouring of support they have received.