Jan. 17--A prisoner exchange unveiled at the last minute Saturday cleared the way for Iran and the United States to ease decades of hostility and opened a final door to easing economic sanctions on the Islamic Republic.
The complex prisoner swap, announced only hours before world powers moved to begin lifting sanctions against Iran in exchange for implementing a landmark nuclear agreement, included the release of Jason Rezaian, a California native and Washington Post correspondent who had been jailed in Tehran for nearly 18 months.
The four freed Americans were expected to be flown to Switzerland on a Swiss plane and then brought to a U.S. military base in Landstuhl, Germany, for medical treatment.
Iranian officials also announced the release of a fifth U.S. detainee, a student and researcher on regional issues, though his case was said to be unrelated to the others.
The prisoner exchange came days after Iran swiftly freed 10 U.S. sailors who had been captured in Iranian territorial waters in the Persian Gulf, averting a potential crisis that could have derailed the nuclear deal.
Tehran's chief prosecutor announced the release of the four Americans included in the swap, saying the move reflected the national "interests" and was approved at the highest levels of government -- implying the support of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's supreme leader.
Freed with Rezaian were Saeed Abedini and Amir Hekmati, whose imprisonment had also drawn extensive public attention.
Abedini is a Christian pastor from Boise, Idaho, jailed on security charges for allegedly trying to establish churches in homes. Hekmati is an ex-U.S. Marine accused of spying for the Central Intelligence Agency.
The other American freed as part of the exchange was identified as Nosratollah Khosravi-Roodsari, a businessman whose name had not previously been made public.
All four are joint U.S.-Iranian citizens. But Tehran does not recognize dual citizenship and treated the cases as internal security matters.
The American student was identified as Matthew Trevithick, from Hingham, Mass. In a statement to the Associated Press, Trevithick's family said he had been held 40 days in Iran after arriving in the country for an intensive language program at an institute affiliated with Tehran University.
Iran also agreed to continue to try to find another American, Robert Levinson, who was working in an unauthorized CIA operation when he disappeared in Iran in 2007, a U.S. official said. His fate is unknown.
In return, Washington agreed to pardon seven Iranians, six of whom are dual citizens, who were convicted in the U.S. or awaiting trial on charges of trying to circumvent sanctions restricting commerce with Iran. In addition, U.S. authorities dismissed charges and removed Interpol alerts against 14 other Iranians whom it believed would never be extradited.
The recent signs of cooperation between the two long-time adversaries point to an ongoing albeit tentative thawing of relations between the Islamic Republic and the United States, which have not had formal diplomatic ties since 1980.
The prisoner exchange was the culmination of months of secret negotiations that ran parallel to the nuclear talks between Iran and six world powers, including the United States.
Under the agreement announced last year, Tehran agreed to restraints on its atomic energy program in exchange for sanctions relief. The United Nations announced Saturday that Iran had met its obligations and will quickly have access to tens of billions in frozen assets.
"Today is a day when we proved to the world that threats, sanctions, intimidation, pressure don't work," Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif told reporters in Vienna. "Respect works. Through respect, through dialogue, through negotiations, we can in fact reach mutually acceptable solutions."
The top Iranian diplomat was speaking about the nuclear negotiations, but his comments seemed to apply in equal measure to the talks that resulted in the far-reaching prisoner exchange.
The Obama administration had faced withering criticism for not including a demand for the Americans' release in the nuclear negotiations. But Secretary of State John F. Kerry said he always brought the matter up during talks on the sidelines of those negotiations.
For months, rumors had circulated that Iran was seeking the release of a number of its nationals in U.S. custody in exchange for the freedom of the Americans jailed in Iran.
A senior Obama administration official, one of several who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the "Iranians wanted a goodwill gesture."
About a year ago, Iran presented a list of names of Iranians or dual citizens who were jailed or facing trial in the U.S.
The list of those to be freed or dropped from an extradition demand was "whittled down" to exclude anyone involved in crimes or violence or terrorism, the official said.
The prisoner exchange, stressed another official, was a "one-time arrangement because it was an opportunity to bring Americans home," and should not be viewed as something that would "encourage this behavior in the future" by Iran.
The most high-profile U.S. prisoner in Iran had been Rezaian, a San Francisco Bay-area native who served as the Washington Post bureau chief in Tehran from 2012 until his arrest in July 2014 on espionage-related charges.
He had been held in Tehran's notorious Evin prison, and his imprisonment has had a serious impact on his health, family members have said.
Rezaian was arrested for what the semiofficial Fars News agency called "attempts to help the U.S. Senate to advance its regime change plots in Iran." He was tried for espionage and related national security charges in a closed-door proceeding last year in Iran's Revolutionary Court.
"We couldn't be happier to hear the news that Jason Rezaian has been released from Evin Prison," Washington Post publisher Frederick J. Ryan Jr. said in a statement Saturday. "Once we receive more details and can confirm Jason has safely left Iran, we will have more to share."
His employer, family and lawyer maintained that Rezaian engaged solely in legitimate and legal journalistic activities. However, he appeared to have been caught in the crosswinds of both international and Iranian domestic politics.
Some had speculated that Rezaian's arrest was an attempt by hard-liners in Iran to undermine the administration of President Hassan Rouhani, a moderate cleric who won office on a pledge to end both international sanctions against Iran and the nation's long-time isolation.
Many conservatives in Iran are opposed to any opening with the West, viewing such a move as a betrayal of the 1979 Islamic Revolution -- and, in some cases, as a threat to economic and political powers entrenched since the overthrow of the U.S.-backed monarchy that had previously ruled Iran.
"The farce of a judicial process that kept him [Rezaian] in custody for 544 days has earned Tehran nothing but scorn from the international community," the Committee to Protect Journalists said in a statement following the reporter's release.
Relatives of the other freed Americans expressed cautious relief Saturday.
"This has been an answer to prayer," Abedini's wife, Naghmeh, said in a statement released by the American Center for Law and Justice, a conservative Christian-based group. "This is a critical time for me and my family. We look forward to Saeed's return and want to thank the millions of people who have stood with us in prayer during this most difficult time."
Hekmati's family released 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."
Levinson's family also welcomed the news of the releases but was distressed that their loved one was not among those freed.
"We are happy for the other families. But once again, Bob Levinson has been left behind," they said in a statement posted on a family website. "We are devastated."
Iran's government has never acknowledged holding Levinson, but has said that the country's intelligence services could help look for him.
Special correspondent Mostaghim reported from Tehran and staff writers McDonnell and Wilkinson from Beirut and Washington, respectively. Staff writer Christi Parsons in Washington contributed to this report.
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