TEHRAN, Jan. 16 (UPI) — Washington Post journalist Jason Rezaian was one of four Americans freed on Saturday in a prisoner swap negotiated between the United States and Iran.
The Post first reported that Rezaian’s release was imminent. Iranian news agencies confirmed that the nation’s judiciary had freed Rezaian and three others.
It is not clear who the other three prisoners are, but reports suggest all four hold dual U.S.-Iran citizenship. There is also no word on the identities of the prisoners to be released by the United States.
As CNN reported, other high profile American prisoners in Iran include Marine veteran Amir Hekmati and Christian pastor Saeed Abedini. Robert Levison, a former FBI agent and CIA contractor went missing on at trip to Iran in 2007.
Secretary of State John Kerry and U.S. diplomats have been working in recent days to push through the certification and implementation of the nuclear agreement reached among the United States, Europe, Iran and other world powers last summer.
It appears talks of a prisoner swap are the reason the finalization of the agreement has been delayed.
