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Version 2 Version 3
Iran Says It Has Released Four Americans in a Prisoner Swap Iran Says It Has Released Four Americans in a Prisoner Swap
(about 2 hours later)
TEHRAN — Iran announced Saturday that it had released four Iranian-Americans as part of a prisoner exchange with the United States. TEHRAN — Iran announced Saturday that it had released four Iranian-Americans as part of a prisoner exchange with the United States, a move that came as the United States and Iran were negotiating the final steps before the expected lifting of oil and financial sanctions related to its nuclear program.
The announcement from the judiciary on state television did not identify the four, but Iranian news media said they included Jason Rezaian, The Washington Post’s Tehran correspondent; Amir Hekmati, a Marine veteran; and Saeed Abedini, a pastor. There were discrepancies in the Iranian reports about the identity of the fourth prisoner. Obama administration officials confirmed the prisoner-swap arrangement, calling it the result of diplomacy that intensified after the nuclear deal had been reached last July.
It was not immediately clear whom the Americans released, but Iranian reports said seven Iranians were freed. “Upon the conclusion of the nuclear deal we were able to accelerate our efforts,” one senior administration official said.
The exchange was apparently orchestrated to coincide with the expected announcement of the lifting of nuclear sanctions against Iran, the most important phase of the nuclear deal reached with world powers in July. The dismantlement, mandated by the nuclear accord reached last summer, was finished within the past day, as Iran rushed to get the sanctions relief before elections next month. But swapping the prisoners — including a Washington Post reporter held on vague charges — also removed a major irritant between the United States and Iran.
The incarceration of the Iranian-Americans had become an increasingly bitter side issue. The initial announcement by the Iranian judiciary on state television did not identify the four released prisoners, but United States officials said they included Jason Rezaian, The Washington Post’s Tehran correspondent; Amir Hekmati, a Marine veteran; Saeed Abedini, a pastor; and Nosratollah Khosrawi, without providing any detail on his background.
The American officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity because the prisoner issue is sensitive, said they were still working to free a fifth prisoner, Siamak Namazi. It was not immediately clear who was released by the American side, but Iranian reports said seven Iranians had been freed.
The prisoner swap was announced in Tehran as Secretary of State John Kerry and his Iranian counterpart, Mohammad Javad Zarif, met in Vienna in an effort to seal the last details needed before the nuclear accord is carried out.
They appeared just hours away from an announcement that Iran had complied with all the major elements of that deal — shipping 98 percent of its low-enriched uranium out of the country, disabling a reactor that can produce plutonium, and dismantling more than 12,000 of the county’s centrifuges, which enrich uranium.
Officials in Vienna said that the prisoner swap and the nuclear deal were related, but only loosely. Mr. Kerry clearly wanted to be able to tell many critics of the deal in Congress that he had gotten more than just the nuclear concessions; he wanted to make the case that the new channels of communication between Tehran and Washington were proving fruitful in other areas.
He argued last week that his relationship with Mr. Zarif helped resolve the case of the 10 American soldiers who were arrested after their two boats went into Iranian territorial waters. Now he can say that the prisoner swap, which has been the subject of secret negotiations for months, was another benefit.
But that was unlikely to silence his critics. Iran’s other recent activities, including missile tests, have provided fodder for Republican candidates for president, who say that President Obama so wanted the nuclear deal he was willing to overlook other issues. Mr. Kerry denies that, and the fact that four Americans are going free will bolster his case.
The incarceration of the four Iranian-Americans had become an increasingly bitter side issue.
Mr. Rezaian, 39, a California native and dual citizen of the United States and Iran, was The Post’s bureau chief in Tehran in July 2014 when he was arrested. He was charged with spying on Iran’s nuclear program and gathering information about violations of international sanctions against Iran.Mr. Rezaian, 39, a California native and dual citizen of the United States and Iran, was The Post’s bureau chief in Tehran in July 2014 when he was arrested. He was charged with spying on Iran’s nuclear program and gathering information about violations of international sanctions against Iran.
He was convicted in October after a closed trial. He was convicted in October after a closed trial closed to the public.
Executives from 25 news organizations recently sent a letter to Secretary of State John Kerry urging him to press Iran to release Mr. Rezaian. Executives from 25 news organizations recently sent a letter to Mr. Kerry urging him to press Iran to release Mr. Rezaian.
American officials said the two deals were nego0tiated separately, but Mr. Kerry had made clear in recent weeks that he was engaged in behind-the-scenes talks on the fate of the Americans, and clearly wanted the issue cleared up before the nuclear agreement went into effect.
Mr. Hekmati, 32, an American of Iranian descent who served with the Marines in Iraq, was seized while visiting relatives in Tehran in August 2011. He was convicted of espionage and sentenced to death, but that verdict was overturned. He was then convicted of aiding a hostile country — meaning the United States — and was sentenced to a 10-year prison term.
This month, Mr. Hekmati was escorted from Evin Prison in Tehran to a hospital for medical tests, including a CT scan, because of lymph node swelling in his face and neck.
In May, he ended his second hunger strike at his family’s request after 10 days of refusing food.
Mr. Hekmati’s family issued a statement saying: “We thank everyone for your thoughts during this time. There are still many unknowns. At this point, we are hoping and praying for Amir’s long-awaited return.”
Saeed Abedini, 39, a naturalized American citizen and Christian pastor who lives in Idaho, was arrested in 2012 and convicted on charges that included subverting national security by creating a private network of churches in people’s homes. In 2013, he was sentenced to eight years in prison.
In Vienna, a senior State Department official said that the delay in certifying that Iran had complied with all its dismantlement steps, and then releasing roughly $100 billion in frozen Iranian funds, was largely around reviewing “a few technical issues remaining.” The official said "there is no major issue being fought over.”