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U.S. Confirms Iran Frees Four Prisoners In Swap; Iran Releases Fifth American, Separate From Deal. Aired 12-1p ET
Aired January 16, 2016 - 12:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[12:01:13] WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: We're following breaking news. We want to welcome our viewers in the United States and around the world. I'm Wolf Blitzer reporting from Washington.
The special coverage we're following, history unfolding on this day. U.S. officials have now confirmed Iran has freed four American prisoners, including "Washington Post" journal, Jason Rezaian, and the Christian pastor, Saeed Abedini.
The U.S. officials telling CNN that the Americans have been released, but they have not yet left Iran. In addition to Rezaian and Abedini, Iran is also releasing U.S. Marine veteran, Amir Hekmati, and Nosratoliah Khosravi. We don't know anything about this fourth American. We're learning more, though, about him shortly.
Jason Rezaian's brother just said that they have not yet received confirmation, but hopes this is all true. Saeed Abedini's wife has confirmed his release, saying, I'm quoting her, "This is been an answer to a prayer.
This is a critical time for me and my family. We look forward to Saeed's return. And we want to thanks the millions of people who have stood with us in prayer during this most difficult time."
In exchange for the U.S. prisoners, the United States has dropped charges against seven Iranian-Americans held for violating various sanctions against Iran.
Joining us now is CNN's Fred Pleitgen who spent a lot of time in Iran in recent months. Fred, first of all, what do we know about the circumstances around the release of these Americans?
We assume the Americans will be out of Iranian air space, just as the Iranian prisoners here in the United States will be released from prison, will be freed at the same time. The simultaneous nature of this deal potentially is significant.
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, it certainly is quite significant, because it does show that there appears to have been a large degree of diplomacy between the two sides that went on silently for quite some time. And we have to keep in mind, also, that the four Americans that -- or American-Iranians that apparently are being released, at least three of them, Amir Hekmati, Jason Rezaian, and of course, Saeed Abedini, as well, were in detention in Iran under political charges.
That's one of the interesting things that one of the news agencies in Iran said. When we were talking about the businessmen, Siak Namazi, who we thought also might be released, they said, no, these are financial things that he's accused of.
So it certainly seems as though the prisoners on both sides who are now being released, are all in detention for political things, and that shows that there was, on a political level, these negotiations that went on between the U.S. and Iran, to then try to get this swap going simultaneously.
And it certainly must have been a very large operation, also one that required not only a lot of diplomacy between the U.S. and Iran, but also, of course, a lot on the part of the Iranians.
Because, Wolf, we know that there is that struggle going on within the Iranian power structure, between the hardliners and the more moderates. The hardliners wanting to remain a combative line towards the United States.
You have to keep in mind, Wolf, that the supreme leader of Iran, the grand Ayatollah Khomeini came out and said, besides from the nuclear negotiations, there will be no other negotiations with the United States.
Of course, there are some ways they could frame this, well, maybe this took as part of the nuclear negotiations on the side, but certainly it seems as though this prisoner swap that is now taking place is due to a lot more than these nuclear negotiations.
So it does show that there is that avenue of diplomacy now, in spite of the fact that Iranian hardliners keep saying that they want to maintain this combative course towards the U.S.
BLITZER: Major developments unfolding, as we speak. And there are going to be a lot more happening in the next few hours, Fred Pleitgen, stand by.
Christiane Amanpour is joining us. We expect to hear from the secretary of state, John Kerry, we expect to hear from the foreign minister of Iran, Javad Zarif. The president of Iran, Rouhani, he is expected to make a statement and I certainly believe the president of the United States will do so as well.
The history of this moment is significant and palpable, Christiane. You've been to Iran many times.
CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (via telephone): Well, indeed, yes, it is a new day. Obviously the Iran nuclear deal that was struck in the summer was the first of the kind of results of this very patient, long, painstaking, multilateral diplomacy that went on between Iran, the United States, and the other world powers.
And very few people around the world believed that it was possible. Many people were against it, both in Iran, in the Middle East, in the United States.
And in the end, it happened. And not only did it happen, the results and the sort of reports since it was implemented, have been very positive.
In other words, the Iranians and the United States have met their obligations, according to the letter of the deal, and right now, today, we expect, and it is true, that people expect this slightly earlier.
[12:05:10]But expect a press conference or some kind of public statement to announce actual implementation day. Implementation day is the day when the IAEA signs off, formally, on Iran's nuclear commitments, under these phased processes during this deal.
And I spoke to the director general of the IAEA, the International Atomic Energy Agency, Dr. Yukiya Amano, just a few days ago, and asked him precisely about this.
And he told me that they had, the Iranian side, met their end of the bargain so far, as your previous guests just said, the latest thing the Iranians have done is remove the heart of the heavy water reactor in Iraq.
That could have been a plutonium root to a bomb, had the Iranians wanted to do it, and they have removed it and disabled it. That's one of the latest things that they have done.
So this is what we expect today. That this implementation today will happen. That means some of the sanctions will be relieved, not all of them. It means that Iran will be able to sell oil on the international market, at a time, mind you, when there's a bit of a glut.
And also will be able to have banking access to the rest of the world. These were the two main big things that these sanctions crippled and stopped during the period of global sanctions on Iran.
So, that's what's happening and as a side deal and as a sort of additional garnish, if you like, thank goodness, it appears the United States has confirmed that civilians, such as our colleague, Jason Rezaian, and others, have been released from Iran and in return the Americans have agreed to free from jail seven Iranians who had been held and convicted under sanctions-busting legislation.
So that's what's going on. And it comes just a few days after the U.S. sailors' dilemma in the Persian Gulf was resolved between Iran and the United States in record swift time because of the diplomacy going on between the two nations.
BLITZER: Significant diplomacy leading up to this moment. All of this has been in the works now for months and months and months. Christiane, stand by, our chief national security correspondent, Jim Sciutto, is getting more information, as well. What are you learning, Jim?
JIM SCIUTTO, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Wolf. There's been son confusion about who the fourth American who is being released today is. We're aware of Jason Rezaian coming out, Amir Hekmati, the former Marine, Saeed Abedini, the Christian pastor who's been there.
But Siamak Namazi, who is an American who was just taken a few months ago, he's an Iranian American businessman who was just taken there, he is not part of this release today.
State Department officials saying that they are still working on his release, that those channels will continue to be open. And the other name I just want to mention, Wolf, is Robert Levinson, of course.
We've talked about him a lot on the air. He's the former U.S. official who was taken in 2007 there. He was working at the time for U.S. intelligence, it is alleged and I'm told by U.S. officials that they've reached an agreement with Iran to seek information on the case of Robert Levinson.
Because there are questions, where is he physically? Is he in Iran? Was he taken out of the country? And even, sadly, whether he's still alive. But no final word on him. That, of course, a disappointment for his family.
Not to take anything away from the enormous success of this deal. And we're getting new information about how it was worked out. Fourteen months of secret negotiations between U.S. and Iranian diplomats.
A parallel, you might say, to the secret negotiations that led to, that began or pre-dated the Iran nuclear agreement. They were speaking in private before it became public. So these negotiations on the prisoners in private for some time, too.
They accelerated when the U.S. in Iran reached an agreement on the nuclear deal last summer. And then, of course, today, we now have the good news of this coming to fruition.
And it's interesting, because, Wolf, you know, throughout these nuclear negotiations, many critics of the deal, of the negotiations, have said, what about the American prisoners? Why aren't they part of the deal?
The administration had said from the beginning, listen, we're talking only about the nuclear deal. We're not talking about terrorism. We're not talking about Iranian support for Bashar Al-Assad.
We're not talking about these Americans held in Iran. But it appears what was happening on these detained Americans, that there was a separate track, distinct from those nuclear negotiations, but happening at the same time.
And at the end of nuclear negotiation sessions, they would say, OK, let's talk, in effect want the Americans and we're seeing today, those negotiations come to fruition.
BLITZER: We're just getting a statement about Robert Levinson, the former FBI agent, who has disappeared in Iran. The family saying, this is the Levinson family saying, "We are happy for the other families, but once again, Bob Levinson has been left behind. We are devastated." That statement coming in from the Levinson family.
[12:10:09]Stand by, Jim Sciutto, who is doing reporting for us. I want to bring in our international diplomatic editor, Nic Robertson. He's joining us as well from Vienna.
I anticipate there will be a statement coming in. The foreign minister, Javad Zarif of Iran, will make a statement there, together with the secretary of state, John Kerry, the EU representatives, others who have gathered on this important day, the implementation of the Iran nuclear deal. Nic, what are you learning?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Well, Wolf, on the implementation day, what we would expect or were expecting was, Dr. Yukiya Amano, the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, right here, to be making a statement on Iran's compliance.
That still appears to be going ahead. I've talked to officials here at the IAEA. They still expect that. But they emphasize that this has been an extraordinary past couple of days, that everything is in flux and that it could change.
We're also expecting the Iranian foreign minister, Javad Zarif, to arrive here. This has been expected over the past couple of hours. He hasn't arrived here yet. He tweeted a little while ago, to say that implementation day is coming. Diplomacy takes a little time.
He's indicating there in that statement, it appears that we should expect a little delay, at this time, not clear, quite how long. When he arrived in the country this morning, he talked about how important implementation day was.
You know, Iran's compliance being signed off on. The IAEA making a very clear statement. He said that this was important for the Iranian economy. But now we can understand a little better what he was saying, also, when he arrived this morning.
That the most important thing about today was that today shows how diplomacy works, that threats and sanctions don't work. Of course, many people would say that sanctions are what brought Iran to the negotiating -- the nuclear negotiating table in the first place.
But perhaps what we heard from the Iranian foreign minister this morning was really a cryptic reference to the fact that we know now, a prisoner exchange was in the works and coming to fruition.
We are expecting the EU foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini to be here as well. However, Secretary of State John Kerry, from what we've been told here at the IAEA, he isn't expected here in the coming hours. So it would just be the director general of the IAEA, the Iranian foreign minister, and the EU foreign policy chief, who would be expected to speak.
And as you can imagine, there's a lot of people waiting here to ask them questions, right gathered by the door where they would be walking into this building. But the timing, as best officials have here right now, Wolf, very much up in the air.
BLITZER: So maybe we'll hear from all the officials there where you are in Vienna, Nic. Maybe we'll hear from President Rouhani in Iran and President Obama here in Washington. Maybe we'll hear from them before we hear from any of the officials over there.
That's often the case, when there's so-called good news to report, and today a lot of families are going to be thrilled that their loved ones are coming home.
Usually -- usually, I know from the U.S. perspective, the president of the United States, likely will make the first official public statement on behalf of the U.S. government, then the secretary of state, then others will begin to weigh in.
But that's usually what goes on in a situation like this. Nic, thanks very much. I want to bring in our global affairs correspondent, Elise Labott, who's getting more information as well.
Elise, you were on an important conference call just a little while ago with top U.S. officials. You're getting more details now on the nature of this exchange, the agreement.
ELISE LABOTT, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, really a remarkable 14 months that started in parallel, as we've been saying, with these nuclear talks. And U.S. officials said that in every meeting, that the U.S. would have with Iran, and world powers on the nuclear deal.
They would have a separate meeting to discuss the fate of these Americans, making very clear that that was also a priority. And when that deal was struck, in the beginning of April, Secretary Kerry had said to his Iranian counterpart, Foreign Minister Zarif, listen, this really presents an opportunity here.
An opportunity for the U.S. and Iran to put what U.S. officials called an irritant in the relationship, and so the U.S. and Iran started to talk about the possibilities of a prisoner exchange. What that could look like.
Obviously, the U.S. had its names. The Iranians, we understand, floated a much larger list of Iranian nationals that it wanted released. U.S. officials said they whittled that down to seven individuals that had no ties to terrorism, no ties to violence.
The majority of these seven, either serving time for or have been charged with crimes related to violation of economic sanctions. So, clearly, the fact that this nuclear deal is being implemented right now, and some of these nuclear sanctions are being lifted pave the way for this type of prisoner exchange.
[12:15:09]But as we've been saying, all the Americans have not been released. We still have -- we still don't know the fate of Robert Levinson. We still don't understand what, why Siamak Namazi have not been released.
And the U.S. officials say they are continuing to work on their release, on Robert Levinson, officials have been assured from the Iranian government, they will still seek to find out information about Bob Levinson's whereabouts and continue to talk.
But, Wolf, really, a remarkable 14 months of diplomacy that really intensified, U.S. officials say, as a result of this nuclear deal and the goodwill and, you know, trust -- building up of confidence and trust in these negotiations that led to the deal you had today.
BLITZER: Very good reporting by our Elise Labott. And we're going to take a quick break, but I want to read to our viewers a statement I just got from U.S. official, precise statement updating us on what we know right now.
This is the statement from a U.S. official that asked not to be identified by name. "Through a diplomatic channel that was established with the focus of getting our detained U.S. citizens home, we can confirm Iran has released from imprisonment four Americans detained in Iran.
Amir Hekmati, Saeed Abedini, Jason Rezaian, and Nosratollah Khosravi- Roodsari. Iran is also committed to continue cooperating with the United States to determine the whereabouts of Robert Levinson.
The statement from this U.S. official goes on to say this, "We offered clemency to seven Iranians, six of whom are dual U.S.-Iranian citizens, who had been convicted or are pending trial in the United States.
The United States 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."
That official statement coming into CNN from a U.S. official. We'll have more on the breaking news, the release of four Americans from Iranian prisons, right after this.
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BLITZER: Welcome back. I'm Wolf Blitzer. We're following breaking news. Once again we want to welcome our viewers in the United States and around the world. Four Iranian American prisoners have been released today from Iran, including "The Washington Post" journalist, Jason Rezaian, the Christian pastor, Saeed Abedini.
[12:20:09]Truly an historic moment right now. Let's talk a little bit more about what's going on with U.S. Senator Bob Casey, a key member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Senator, thanks very much for joining us. I assume you're being briefed by administration officials on this prisoner swap. What's your reaction?
SENATOR BOB CASEY (D), PENNSYLVANIA: Well, Wolf, it's good news. And in terms of briefings that will take place today and over the next couple of days, so what I know is what you know, what's been reported, but it is good news. It should have happened a long time ago.
The Iranian regime had no right to detain these individuals. And we should point out that freedom of the press has been greatly undermined and abused by the Iranian regime. But it is good news.
We should commend the work of Secretary Kerry and his team and the administration because it's a good result. We have to get more of the details, but it appears, at least in the last couple of minutes, that we have confirmation on the four Americans.
BLITZER: Would this be seen specifically as part of the Iran nuclear deal? Correct me if I'm wrong, Senator, you supported -- you voted in favor of the Iran nuclear deal, right?
CASEY: I did.
BLITZER: And when you voted in favor of it, were you told at the time -- because these negotiations to release these Americans have been in the works, we're told, for 14 months. Were you told, at the time, that the prisoner swap would occur on the day of implementation, that it was actually part of this deal?
CASEY: No, we weren't told any of that. Nor should we have been, frankly, in order to make sure that this -- apparently what's been reported, a long 14-month or so negotiation. It is separate from the agreement, for sure.
When you do an agreement like that that, as you know, wolf, you have to deal with the nuclear issues. You wouldn't be dealing with the nefarious activities of the regime in the region. A lot of other issues where we have to counter the Iranian regime and be aggressive with them.
But, separate and apart from that was apparently a long-term discussion about this. I do think, though, that the nuclear agreement did open up pathways or areas of dialogue that wouldn't have been able to occur, absent the -- at least absent the negotiation, prior to the nuclear agreement.
BLITZER: The specific statement we got from a U.S. official, Senator, says that in exchange for the four Americans who are being freed, the U.S. is now offering clemency to seven Iranians, six of whom are dual U.S. Iranian citizens, who have been convicted or pending trial here in the United States.
And removing from the Interpol watch list, some 14 other Iranians the U.S. sought for extradition in connection with violations of international sanctions against Iran. Are you OK with that? CASEY: Well, Wolf, I don't -- I know as much as you do, at this point. I don't have any details about that so I'm not going to make a judgment about it. But, I hope that politicians -- I'll limit my admonition to politicians.
I hope politicians on the campaign and otherwise in Washington, don't treat this like a baseball game, 7-4, start counting the number of individuals. These negotiations are extraordinarily complex.
And if you're a politician, you should be very careful about how you make judgments about the result of a long-term negotiation. So I'm going to apply that to myself and be very careful, so I know the details.
What I know right now about what acts we took to get these four Americans freed is what you know. So we'll have to wait and see.
BLITZER: We're getting some more information, also significant information, Senator, and you'll learn it, I assume, as I'll share it with our viewers here in the United States and around the world, a fifth American.
A man by the name of Matthew Trevithcnik is also being released by Iran, this U.S. official explains, but says that Matthew's release is not part of the negotiated prison release, the four Americans in exchange for the seven Iranians.
Trevithcnick is described as a student who was recently detained by Iran. Senior administration officials tell us this, he has been allowed to leave Iran, so that is the additional individual who was not part of this broader negotiation.
Given the long-standing details of the broader negotiation, the four Americans, but this individual, this student, has been allowed to be released.
Matthew's case was able to be resolved. He is now on his way home, according to a senior administration official. More good news. That's good news, right?
CASEY: It is good news. I do think, though, that when we celebrate the release of Americans from any kind of captivity.
[12:25:08]With regard to the Iranian regime, we should be very clear, in my case, as someone in support of the nuclear agreement, we're going to have to do four things in my judgment, very well, over the next not just years but decades.
We have to make sure that the nuclear agreement is implemented well. We're going to have to enforce it aggressively. We're going to have to counter their aggressive behavior in the region, in a very determined fashion.
And we're going to have to deter them and make it very clear to them that if they take steps down the road to develop a nuclear weapon that we'll take out that program. And I think if we do those four things well, enforce, implement, counter, and deter, then we can have a good subtle over time, with regard to Iran, with regard to the nuclear program, with regard to their behavior in the region, where they're supporting terrorism all the time. And maybe on some of these negotiated elements as well.
BLITZER: No doubt there's great potential. Let's see if it can be implemented. Senator Bob Casey of Pennsylvania, thanks very much for joining us.
CASEY: Thanks, Wolf.
BLITZER: I want to get some more now on this fifth American that's being released, not necessarily as part of this formal prisoner exchange. Elise Labott is getting more information. Matthew Trevithcnick. I'm not sure I'm pronouncing his last name correctly. Elise, what are we learning?
LABOTT: We don't know that much about him, Wolf. He is a young student. He was detained recently, and as we've been saying, he was not part of that original deal that the U.S. and the Iranians have been talking about for the last 14 months.
U.S. officials tell me that the Iranians agreed to add him only recently, in recent days. I'm not sure the U.S. knew that much about his case, Wolf, but certainly about that broader agreement that they've been discussing, he was not part of those discussions.
But he will be flying with Jason Rezaian, Amir Hekmati, Saeed Abedini, and Nosratollah Khosravi, hopefully very soon, Wolf. U.S. officials say the Americans are still not out of Iranian air space, but hope that will be happening very soon.
BLITZER: What are U.S. officials saying about at least two other U.S. citizens being held by Iran? They were not part of this deal, Robert Levinson, yet another American, he wasn't part of this deal, although U.S. officials say the Iranians have promised to help look for him.
LABOTT: Although, the first two have not been released. U.S. officials very cagey about why that didn't happen, but obviously saying that they will still work to make sure that all Americans are freed.
And they say that discussions are continuing to happen with the Iranians about that. And also on Robert Levinson, unfortunately, he will not be part of those five Americans flying home, but the Iranians have given the U.S. assurances that they will seek to find out about Bob Levinson's whereabouts.
The Iranian government has said all along, when Bob Levinson vanished off Kish Island all those years ago, that they did not have any information about his whereabouts, the U.S. had said, at one point, they thought that he was in an Iranian prison.
But in recent years, they've kind of lost track of where he may be. But Iranian officials have assured the U.S., they will continue to seek information about Bob Levinson.
BLITZER: Yes, the Levinson family issuing a statement, "We are happy for the other families, but once again, Bob Levinson has been left behind. We are devastated."
I know you've been getting briefings from top U.S. officials, Elise. The seven Iranians being offered clemency now, meaning they're going to be allowed to leave prison, six of them are joint, dual U.S./Iranian citizens.
Do we know if these seven Iranian prisoners being offered clemency about to be freed from U.S. prison after conviction or awaiting trial, will they stay in the United States, the six of them, who are dual citizens, or will they head back to Iran?
LABOTT: Well, if they have U.S. citizenship, I'm really not sure. If they aren't accused of any crimes anymore, the U.S. official did not say anything about deporting them. But presumably, they'll want to go back to Iran, if the Iranians have been asking for them.
The U.S. made clear that these seven individuals have not been either serving time for or charged with any crimes related to violence or terrorism. These were crimes related to violation of economic sanctions or the trade embargo.
And so, the Iranians have maintained that as, you know, because the sanctions were being lifted, there was no reason for these people to be in U.S. custody. And obviously, that was part of this whole deal.
That the U.S. could rationalize, not releasing anybody involved in any violent crimes, but these economic crimes, they were willing to let those people go.
Some of them were already close to the end of their sentences.
[12:30:11] Others, Wolf, were just arrested and charged and convicted about a year ago.
BLITZER: And as part of the deal, the U.S. is also removing its request from Interpol, for 14 other Iranians the U.S. had sought for extradition in connection with violation of international sanctions and other issues.
All right, Elise, stand by. We're getting more information. Much more coming in including more details on this fifth American who is being released from the prison. Our special coverage resumes right after a quick break.
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BLITZER: Let's get back to the major breaking news of this day. Five Americans held in Iran. They are now free. Four of them part of a prisoner swap. That includes the release of Iranian prisoners in the United States. They include the Washington Post reporter, Jason Rezaian and three others, pastor Saeed Abedin, who's been held since 2012, as well as a former U.S. Marine and a fourth Iranian American national. A fifth American, a detained student, also being released, although not part of the formal prisoner swap, being released separately.
The Washington Post just releasing a statement. Let me read it to our viewers. We couldn't be happier to hear the news that Jason Rezaian has been released from Evin Prison. Once we receive more details and can confirm Jason has safety left Iran, we will have more to share. That statement from a Washington Post spokeswoman.
As part of the deal, U.S. officials are offing clemency, dropping charges against seven Iranian, six are dual U.S./Iranian citizenship, convicted or standing trial in the United States for sanctions violations.
Brian Stelter has been covering the story for us. Chris Frates is joining us from the White House.
Chris, let me go to you. First, what are you hearing specifically from the Obama Administration? I anticipate we'll hear a statement, we'll get a statement at some point from the president of the United States?
CHRIS FRATES, CNN INVESTIGATIONS CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's right. And we're not hearing anything official from the white house yet, Wolf. But what we have been hearing from a U.S. Administration official, telling us that, you know, this is a result of 14 months of hard-earned diplomacy, and officials went out of their way to make the point, this is a unique situation, this is a one-time kind of exchange. They made the point that the seven Iranians who were being swapped weren't involved in any violent crime here in the United States. They also weren't charged with any kind of terrorism-related charges.
[12:35:09] And certainly, I think, you know, they're trying to preempt any kind of criticism that this will only encourage our enemies to take Americans prisoner, in hopes of swapping for, you know, anybody detained by the United States.
In fact, it hasn't stopped Republicans on the campaign trail from criticizing the president, saying it was a disgrace they were taken in the first place and that it took so long for them to be released. But the White House certainly saying that this shows all the hard work done on the Iran nuclear deal.
They say that the relationships built during those negotiations to curtail Iran's nuclear program helped with a separate, but parallel track here, to release these Americans. Because those relationships and those lines of communications were open, they were able to make this point to the Iranians time and time again. They made the point that Secretary of State John Kerry never met with the foreign minister of Iran, without making the point that these Americans need to be released.
And so that's kind of what we're hearing so far. Where we're waiting to see, Wolf, if the president will come out and make a statement. Certainly, this is a big victory for him. There's no reason for him not to come out. He has had a number of successful victories in the wing column here, when you look in the last week or so, you have the 10 navy sailors, who were detained by Iran. They were released fairly quickly, after 14 hours.
You also have the Iranian nuclear deal looking like it's going to come to its conclusion and have those sanctions lifted. And now you have the release of these Americans. These are all very big victories with Iran and the president and his administration officials telling us -- the administration officials, anyway, telling us, so far, that that was because of all the hard work and all the groundwork that they laid on this diplomacy, making the argument that Obama's diplomacy gets results, Wolf.
BLITZER: Good point. And I do anticipate, I believe the president will be making a statement at some point. We'll see then of course. We have live coverage of that, once the president -- once you get the word the president is going to make a statement.
Stand by, Chris. I want to bring in Brian Stelter.
Brian, first, remind our viewers that the case of Jason Rezaian, this journalist for The Washington Post, why was he imprisoned in Iran to begin with? What was the Iranian suggestion, the allegation against him?
BRIAN STELTER, CNN SENIOR MEDIA CORRESPONDENT: The claims were espionage-related, Wolf. And they were roundly denied by Jason's family members, also by The Washington Post also rejected by the U.S. State Department. There was never any real evidence presented against this -- for these charges. The evidence was pretty ridiculous, frankly, from what I've seen. And this case was widely condemned by journalists all around the world.
You go back to July of 2014, you imagine the situation. Jason and his wife were at home when the police raid, when they're taken into custody. They had been married 15 months earlier. So that means that they have spent more time apart than they have together since they were married.
Now, his wife was able to stay in Iran, stay in Tehran throughout this entire ordeal, and U.S. officials are now saying that she will leave Iran with Jason at some point today. We're waiting for them to clear Iranian airspace before the Washington Post wants to say much more than you've already read from that statement a few minutes ago, but I'm just struck by, on a personal level, the idea that this couple spent more time apart, behind bars, so to speak, than together, since they've been married. And now, finally, today, they'll be able to embrace.
BLITZER: And so the Washington Post sources you're talking to right now, they say there's, what -- a plane that's about to take these Americans out of Iran? They want to make sure that these Americans are in international airspace before anything more substantiative is released about the effort to get their freedom? Is that what they're doing?
STELTER: That is the sense. There was a mis -- there was misinformation earlier, saying they had already taken off. Apparently, they have not cleared Iranian air space yet. So that's still a situation where they're waiting. That's why Rezaian's family is not saying anything either. We've been in touch with his brother, Ali, who put his whole life on hold for the past year and a half, in order to fight for his brother's freedom.
Meanwhile, Jason's wife and Jason's mom were in Iran for much of the time, trying to visit him whenever possible. But to give you a sense of the conditions, for at least one of these men that are being released today, there were times when Jason was in poor health, times when he was kept mostly in solitary confinement, unable to see his family.
By the way, we're seeing pictures of him with Anthony Bourdain. Anthony Bourdain happened to spend time with him in Iran six weeks before the detention. And so strange coincidence. That's why he's on camera in those scenes.
But there are times when this was very tough. There are times Jason Rezaian, he was very depressed, according to his family. And you can imagine the toll would have taken after a year and a half. Of course, this went on for this one man, longer than the Iranian hostage crisis.
Of course, we know some of these other cases went on even longer. And today they will be freed.
[12:40:01] BLITZER: Yeah, I've spoken to his family members. His brother -- as you correctly point out, really devoting his life to getting his--
STELTER: Yeah.
BLITZER: -- brother released. A lot of us were really anxious to try to help.
The conditions in that prison as described to you and to me and to others were pretty awful, weren't they?
STELTER: Absolutely. This is an infamous prison near Tehran. Maziar Bahari, a Newsweek journalist was held there for four months a number of years ago. There was that movie, Rosewater, that Jon Stewart made all about his detention in iran. And he described times within intense interrogations.
We haven't heard much about that from Jason Rezaian's family. I think we will perhaps in the days or weeks to come, about exactly what he was put through by the authorities, but we know there were times he was in poor health, times when he needed medication, and I would suspect one of the first things that will happen once he's able to leave Iran today is there will be medical checkups and, you know, sort of investigation to see what his condition is.
BLITZER: Yeah, my suspicion is they will be flown first to the Ramstein U.S. Military base in Germany for some medical attention. That's normally what happens. Maybe even before these Americans come back to the United States. We'll see if that happens. Chris Frates, I know you're working your sources at the White House. When you get word, when we're going to hear from the president of the United States, let us know. Brian, you're working your sources, as well. We'll stay on top of this story.
Let's take another quick break and we'll be right back.
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BLITZER: Welcome back. I'm Wolf Blitzer in Washington. We're following breaking news. Major developments for Iranian American prisoners released in a swap with Iran. A fifth prisoner also released. Another American citizen. Five American citizens are about to be freed, including the Washington Post journalist, Jason Rezaian, the Christian pastor Saeed Abedini. All of which represents a historic moment.
Let's bring in our global affairs correspondent, Elise Labott, who's been getting good information for us.
Elise, four Americans released as part of this formal exchange, this swap, seven Iranians held in the United States being given clemency. They will be freed as a result of this deal as well.
[12:45:09] 14 additional Iranians who had been sought by the U.S. for extradition through Interpol, those requests for extradition are being removed as well. All of which happening on this day of implementation of the Iran nuclear deal represents a significant development.
ELISE LABOTT, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Well, it does, Wolf. And this shows, U.S. officials say, that this is the benefit of improved relations with Iran as a result of that nuclear deal.
14 months ago, these discussions started on the sidelines of that nuclear deal. The Iranians and the U.S., not only meeting with world powers to discuss that nuclear path, but in after every meeting, U.S. officials say, the U.S. delegation would meet with the Iranians to discuss the fate of those Americans, to make sure they knew that that was a priority.
And then when that nuclear deal was reached in April, Secretary of State John Kerry has a very good relationship with his Iranian counterpart, Foreign Minister Zarif. And he said to the foreign minister, "Look, this really presents an opportunity. Let's get rid of what U.S. officials called this irritant in our relationship." There are a lot of important issues that the U.S. believes the U.S. and Iran could work on together. Let's end this irritant, as they say, and get rid of these cases.
And so the U.S. gave their list of people they believed were in U.S. custody, the Iranians gave the U.S. a very fulsome list, much larger than the seven names. Over the course of this month, it does shows that those nuclear discussions were able to pave the way for far better relations that we see resulted in these five Americans coming home, Wolf.
Elise, stand by. I wanted to continue to follow the breaking news. Five Americans now being released from Iranian prisons. The presidential candidates here in the United States, they're reacting, much more special coverage right after a quick break.
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[12:50:58] BLITZER: Several presidential candidates here in the United States, they are responding now to the release of five U.S. prisoners from Iran. Some of the Republican candidates are using the moment to again slam the Democratic administration of President Obama.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Now I have to see what the deal is for the four people. Because somebody said, we're getting -- they're getting seven people back.
So essentially, they get 150 billion plus seven and we get four. Well it doesn't sound too good, it doesn't sound too good. But we have to see, because I just heard about this an hour ago. But and I'm happy they're coming back. But I will tell you, it's a disgrace that they've been there for so long. It's a disgrace. Remember that, a total disgrace.
TED CRUZ, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We don't know the details of the deal that is bringing them home and it may well be that there are some very problematic aspects to this deal. But at least this morning, I am giving thanks that Pastor Saeed is coming home. It is far later than it should have been, but we will be glad to welcome him home with open arms.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: Senator Bernie Sanders, the Democratic presidential candidate issued this statement. "This good news shows that diplomacy can work even in this volatile region of the world."
Let's bring in our Senior Political Analyst, Ron Brownstein, the editorial director of the National Journal.
It's happening. This prisoner swap if you will Ron on the day where the implementation of the Iran nuclear deal goes forward, Iran freezes and dismantle it's various aspects of it's nuclear program which the U.S. and its partners in the international community see as a major, major step forward.
The release of the prisoners, clearly part of this deal being implemented on this day, how does this figure into the race for the White House?
RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: An important highly conflicted moment in this campaign year, Wolf.
Well, first of all, it's obviously, a great day for the families and the friends and the colleagues of all of the Americans being released. And I think we should all be celebrating that. I think, look, every four years, the party of the White House. The candidates say they will be tougher, smarter, more tenacious negotiators than the current president. And that goes on, on both sides.
What's different, this year, I think, is Republicans have in many cases, fundamentally argued that Obama -- President Obama was fundamentally misguided in negotiating with Iran at all. That it was a mistake to negotiate with them. And now they are saying that, you know, in this deal, he will have given up too much.
This is, I think, the administration and perhaps more importantly, the Democrats running in 2016, a powerful piece of evidence on the other side of the ledger, to say that diplomacy can be effective as a way of dealing with our challenges.
Now, this doesn't erase all of the problems that President Obama faces in terms of the public's assessment of his overall management of the challenge in the Middle East, but it is worth remembering in polling, most Americans have supported the Iranian nuclear deal and I think that will reinforce that sentiment.
BLITZER: Well, the Republican candidates, at least several of them, while of course they're warmly welcoming the return of these Americans and they're expressing their support for the families who are about to get their loved ones back. They also go on, several of them, at least to make the point that these kind of swaps will only encourage more Americans being taken prisoners by hostile government or terrorist organizations down the road since they see it will lead to the release of their individuals being held by the United States. We're going to hear, presumably a lot more of that as well.
BROWNSTEIN: Yeah, I think we've heard that from Marco Rubio and Chris Christie, already, and perhaps Ted Cruz was kind of alluding to that. And this remarks and look this is a long-standing debate, I mean, you know, goes back to Ronald Reagan.
And this question of, you know, what you have to do -- and can you draw a line and simply demand the return of your people? You know, I think it is easier to say that from outside of the White House than inside of the White House.
And my guess is that most Americans in the end will view this as a reasonable trade, especially in the context of the larger agreement. But, yes, we are going to hear that argument. It is a little harder to say how you would implement demanding your people back without giving anything in return, if you are actually president.
[12:55:10] BLITZER: The release of those 10 American sailors within 24 hours now takes on more of a perspective, coming just days before with the U.S. and the Iranian officials, both knew it was going to be this prisoner swap.
BROWNSTEIN: Right, absolutely. look, I mean this -- look, the entire, you know, through this presidential campaign, the Republican field has essentially been unswerving, unwavering in their condemnation of the Iranian deal, and basically, as I said, in the entire idea that there can be meaningful negotiation with this regime.
And they've argued that Obama has projected weakness to the world, even by attempting to negotiate with them. Mike Huckabee today, even in the afternoon for example criticized the idea of negotiating with them at all while they held hostages.
And I think that this is an important moment for those who argue that diplomacy can be, you know, that diplomacy can be a way of advancing our goals and that simply kind of rattling sabers is not always the answer. That debate is not going to end today. It's going to be one of the central lines of argument through the 2016 presidential campaign. But those who argue for diplomacy, I think, was -- have in the past 48 hours, have received some powerful pieces of evidence they can put on their side of the argument.
BLITZER: Ron Brownstein, thanks very much.
This important note to our viewers, you can see Jake Tapper's entire interview with Donald Trump tomorrow morning on State of the Union. Jake also will sit down with Hillary Clinton and her Democratic rival, Bernie Sanders, all on State of the Union tomorrow morning, 9:00 a.m. eastern/noon eastern as well. Jake's interviews with Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump.
That's it for this hour. Much more of our coverage coming up at the top of the hour, we're following the breaking news. Stay with us.
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BLITZER: Once again, we want to welcome our viewers in the United States and around the world. I'm Wolf Blitzer.
[13:00:00] We're following breaking news. Iran has just freed an additional American prisoner, five individuals. Now, five men who will soon fly home to the United States to be reunited with their families.
