Iran Releases Captives, U.S. Lifts Sanctions

Iran has released Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian and three other Iranian-American citizens under a prisoner swap deal with the U.S., Iranian state media and American authorities said Saturday.

The announcement of the exchange came as the International Atomic Energy Agency certified Saturday that Iran has met all of its commitments under last summer’s landmark nuclear deal, crowning years of U.S.-led efforts to crimp Iran’s ability to make atomic weapons.

Rep. Jared Huffman, D-Calif., who represents the district where the Rezaian family lives, said he was told by the White House that the Americans would be aboard a Swiss plane that would take them briefly to Switzerland and that they would not return home until they have “medical checkups”, most likely at a US military medical facility in Germany.

Now that the US and Iran have entered into an agreement over its nuclear program, brokered in July, Iran appears to be releasing these Americans and sending them home in exchange for the seven unnamed Iranians.

Four Americans released as part of a prisoner swap with Iran are still inside the country, a senior U.S. official said Saturday.

In particular, a conversation with Zarif and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani’s brother in Vienna once the nuclear deal was reached a year ago helped spur efforts toward a prisoner deal, USA officials said.

Clinton also said that “Iran is still violating United Nations security council resolutions with its ballistic missile program, which should be met with new sanctions designations”, and repeated her resolve to “stand side-by-side with our ally Israel”. “But I’ve not been formally informed if he is free now”, he said, adding negotiations for the prisoners’ release has been going on for the past two months.

He was convicted of spying and sentenced to death in 2012. “But we remain in hopeful anticipation until Amir is in our arms”. The Iranians have always denied knowing his location. They won’t be on US soil for a few days, he said. The former Marine infantryman and Arabic and Persian linguist was accused of espionage and other charges in 2012.

For the past 18 months the Post has lobbied for the release of Rezaian, its Tehran correspondent.

But the timing of the trade, and of a “separate but clearly associated good-will gesture” release of a fifth American, fed Republican fears that Tehran had used the prisoners as leverage for sanctions negotiations – and that the trade set a precedent of acceding to those who hold hostages.

Earlier, an unnamed US official said in an email from the State Department that the USA had also agreed to drop efforts to seek the extradition of 14 Iranians on unspecified charges.

Congressman Robert Pittenger called Mrs. Naghmeh Abedini to congratulate her on Iran’s release of her husband, Pastor Saeed Abedini.

Very little is known about Nosratollah Khosravi-Roodsari, except that he was one of the prisoners released.

Trevithick has left Iran, administration officials said.

“But once again, Bob Levinson has been left behind”, they said in a statement posted on a family website.

“I’ve seen the pardon”, said Joel Androphy, the lawyer for Bahram Mechanich.

Pastor Saeed, an American citizen, had been imprisoned in Iran for over 3 years.

The seven Iranians freed by the United States are Nader Modanlou, Baharam Mechanic, Khosrow Afghahi, Arash Ghahreman, Tooraj Faridi, Nima Golestaneh, and Ali Saboonchi, according to IRNA and the state broadcaster. The Maryland man was convicted in August 2014 of a plot to export industrial products and services to Iran, a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s office said at the time.