Obama hails Iranian prisoner release as victory for diplomacy

“This is a good day because, once again, we’re seeing what’s possible with strong American diplomacy”, Mr Obama said at the White House. The prisoners are expected to arrive in the U.S. Sunday. “We remain steadfast in opposing Iran’s destabilising behaviour elsewhere, including its threats against Israel and our Gulf partners, and its support for violent proxies in places like Syria and Yemen”, he said.

In a side agreement, Iran released five Americans held captive, and Obama agreed to grant clemency to seven Iranians held in the United States. There were no additional details.

The five Americans had been detained in separate cases, some as early as 2011.

Both the Washington Post and Rezaian denied the accusations.

“I’m relieved, but I’m also elated. I know that’s something he will love to do”, Stetler said.

The journalist’s brother, Ali Rezaian, said Jason Rezaian is a talented journalist and devoted family man “whose life was unfairly interrupted when he was arrested for crimes he did not commit”. “We are relieved that this 545-day nightmare for Jason and his family is finally over”. In the meantime, she spoke on the phone with President Barack Obama.

Clinton’s proposal for new sanctions over Iran’s recent ballistic missile tests comes as Democratic lawmakers on Capitol Hill are joining Republicans in calling for the Obama administration to take a tougher posture toward Iranian aggression.

“With the nuclear deal done, prisoners released, the time was right to resolve this dispute as well”, he said, adding that the USA remained “steadfast in opposing Iran’s destabilizing behavior elsewhere”. They said Iran needs to understand the fighting won’t be resolved as long as Syrian President Bashar Assad remains in power. It ranged from exporting electronic components, satellite services, marine navigation and military equipment to Iran.

However, the attorney for Bahram Mechanich, one of the seven, told CNN his client was pardoned along with two others – Tooraj Faridi and Khosro Afghahi – but their release awaits the Americans’ departure from Iran.

U.S. State Department officials Brett McGurk, who helped to negotiate their release, and Patrick Kennedy, the department’s Under Secretary of State for Management, had been standing by to greet the prisoners on arrival in Geneva. “Iran was steadily expanding its nuclear program, we have now cut off every single path that Iran could have used to build a bomb”, he said. Apart from that, Iran undertook not to manufacture weapons-grade plutonium, to have not more than 300 kilograms of 3.67% enriched uranium in a period of 15 years, to reshape nuclear facilities and use them exclusively in peaceful purposes.

Hours after the sanctions were officially lifted – and before the administration announced that some would stay in place – Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani said that his country “has opened a new chapter” in its relations with the world.

Two congressmen are headed to Germany on Sunday to greet Rezaian and Hekmati.

His public defenders, Lucius Outlaw and Elizabeth Oyer, say Saboonchi was born in the USA and is raising a family here.

Rep. Dan Kildee, D-Michigan, said Hekmati’s father had fallen ill in the more than four years that his son has been detained. “At this point, we are hoping and praying for Amir’s long-awaited return”. The sailors were released along with their boats within 24 hours after Iranian and American diplomats made several rounds of frantic phone calls to defuse the situation.

The U.S., European Union and United Nations began lifting numerous crippling economic sanctions levelled against Iran over the years, after UN inspectors said the Islamic Republic had complied with a deal created to stop it from developing nuclear weapons. The US also removed any Interpol red notices and dismissed any charges against 14 Iranians for whom it was assessed that extradition requests were unlikely to be successful.