An airplane carrying five individuals the Biden administration claims are U.S. citizens landed Tuesday morning in Fort Belvoir, Virginia, just south of Washington, D.C., according to a CBS News report.
The five Americans who were released from Iran on Monday were exchanged for five Iranians held prisoner in the U.S. and the release of $6 billion of Iran’s assets frozen in a South Korean bank.
Administration officials identified three of the plane’s passengers as Siamak Namazi, Emad Shargi and Morad Tahbaz, who were sentenced by Iran to 10 years in prison on espionage charges.
Two individuals involved in the agreement — including one female former U.N. worker — were not identified, the report noted, adding U.S. officials claimed the two wanted to remain anonymous.
“The president is making five families whole again,” a White House official said in a Sunday briefing.
Exchanging prisoners between Iran and the U.S. required months of negotiations, according to the report. In addition to swapping detainees, the U.S. agreed to release nearly $6 billion of Iranian assets frozen in a South Korean bank by U.S. sanctions.
The agreement stipulates the money would be deposited in a Qatar bank, but Iran would only be allowed to spend it on humanitarian needs like food and medicine.
The Korean bank reportedly sent the money to a Swiss bank, which transferred the money to a bank in Doha, Qatar. After the $6 billion was deposited in Qatar, Iran flew the U.S. prisoners to Doha Monday, the report noted.
Upon their arrival in Qatar, the five Americans were warmly greeted by U.S. Ambassador to Qatar, Timmy Davis. Three of them, namely Namazi, Emad Sharghi, and Morad Tahbaz, embraced the ambassador and others present.
The flight from Qatar landed Tuesday morning in Virginia.
“I want to see foliage instead of walls and wardens,” said Namazi. “I want to lay back on the grass, with the warm sun on my face, and gaze up at the open blue skies.”
“My other pressing ‘needs’ include visiting the Apple Store to replace all the devices my captors took as bounty,” Namazi continued. “I am dying to find out what gadgets now exist – when I was taken hostage, the iPhone 6s had just come out. You cannot imagine what an eight-year itch feels like.”
President Joe Biden acknowledged the exchange in a statement, noting that two of the Americans have chosen to keep their identities private.
“As we celebrate the return of these Americans, we also remember those who did not return,” President Biden said. “I call on the Iranian regime to give a full account of what happened to Bob Levinson. The Levinson family deserves answers.”
The Biden administration claimed the Iranians released in this deal do not pose a threat to U.S. national security.
Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi, who is currently in New York for the U.N. General Assembly, remarked that the exchange is “a step in the direction of a humanitarian action between us and America.”
“It can definitely help in building trust,” Raisi added.
Two of the Iranians returned to Iran were identified by Nour News as Mehrdad Ansari and Reza Sarhangpour Kafrani.
Ansari had been sentenced by the U.S. in 2021 for obtaining equipment with potential military applications, while Kafrani was charged over alleged unlawful exports to Iran.
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