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Iran Fulfills Nuke Deal Terms; Israel's Leader Slams Lifting of Iranian Sanctions; U.S. Republican Presidential Candidates Criticize Swap; Sanctions Relief Could Worsen Oil Prices; Prisoners' Families Celebrate Release; Burkina Faso Viewed as Key Anti-Terror Ally; Journalist Describes Torture in Iranian Prison; U.S. Prisoners Freed; The Gulf War 25 Years On. Aired 4-5a ET
Aired January 17, 2016 - 04:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: As Iran has fulfilled its commitments, today multilateral and national economic and financial sanctions related to Iran's nuclear program are lifted.
GEORGE HOWELL, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): And with those words, Iran emerges from economic exile. We'll explain what's next.
Plus: free from captivity, U.S. citizens held by Iran now headed home after a prisoner swap.
And terror in West Africa felt around the world. The many nationalities caught up in the chaos there.
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From CNN World Headquarters in Atlanta, welcome to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. I'm George Howell. CNN NEWSROOM starts right now.
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HOWELL: And a good day to you.
We begin with the major milestone for Iran. Economic sanctions now lifted by the United States and the European Union. It comes after the U.N. Nuclear Agency announced that Tehran has met its obligations to restrict its nuclear program. Israel's president and some Republican in the United States say that the move is premature. They insist that Iran is still intent on building a nuclear weaponry.
Meanwhile, the U.S. and Iran are engaged in a prisoner swap. Five Americans once held in that country are now headed home. Four of them were released in exchange for seven Iranians held by the U.S. for sanctions violations.
A fifth American was freed as part of a separate deal. U.S. secretary of state John Kerry said the exchange was sped up by
the lifting of sanctions and Iran's compliance in the nuclear deal. Iran's president also praised these latest developments.
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JOHN KERRY, SECRETARY OF STATE: But the fact is that today marks the first day of a safer world, one where we believe it is possible to remain safer for years to come and particularly with the compliance of this agreement.
HASSAN ROUHANI, IRANIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): As far as JCPOA is concerned, all the parties are happy, with the exception of designists and the warmongers and those who are causing disunity amongst Islamic omah (ph) and also the American hardliners and extremists.
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HOWELL: CNN is covering this major story from all angles.
This day our Oren Liebermann is live in Jerusalem with reaction from Israel.
But first, we start with Fred Pleitgen, live at Ramstein Air Base in Germany, where the newly freed Americans will soon be arriving.
Fred, good to have you with us this hour.
So do we have any sense, any new idea of the timing when they will depart Iran?
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, George. It's unclear whether or not they have actually already departed Iran, whether or not they're already in the air and when exactly they are going to come here.
But we do know that the first point of entry will apparently be right here at Ramstein Air Base, which is very close to the Landstuhl medical facility, which is America's sort of main military hospital outside the U.S. and is a place where many Americans who have been in harm's way, overseas, it's one of their first points where they get a medical checkup, also a lot of them get medical treatment.
So we expect four of the five Americans to arrive here at Ramstein at some point during the day.
Now there are different cases as far as these five individuals are concerned.
There's one, Matthew Trevithick, who already apparently has left Iran. He was not part of that actual prisoner swap deal. His release happened on top of that prisoner swap deal.
And then you have the four others, which, of course, include "The Washington Post" reporter, Jason Rezaian, who was in Iranian activity for 1.5 years.
Emir Hekmati, who was in Iranian captivity for more than four years, he's a Marine veteran who was on holiday in Iran when he got detained.
And then of course you also have Saeed Abedini, who was in captivity for about three years, a pastor who's from Boise, Idaho.
All of them are going to apparently come here, receive medical treatment here, unclear again when exactly that is going to be.
However, what is clear is that their release, as the secretary of state said, was very much happening on the sides of the nuclear negotiations and he said that it is certainly one of the things that only became possible because there are now these direct channels of communication between the U.S. and Iran -- George.
HOWELL: But, again, all of these Americans set to arrive at Ramstein Air Base where you are. And of course we will stay in touch with you as that happens.
But, Fred, I'd like to ask you, just from your own experience and your travels and reporting in Tehran and speaking to people there, what does this deal mean for everyday people in Iran?
PLEITGEN: Oh, yes, I mean --
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PLEITGEN: -- it means a lot. It means a lot to everyday Iranians.
One of the interesting things is that there was a lot of controversy about this deal, George. The hardliners really didn't want to enter negotiations with the U.S. They wanted to maintain that course of confrontation. Many of them still do.
However, at all times, it was clear that the vast majority of the Iranian population wanted the sanctions to be lifted, wanted some sort of nuclear agreement, wanted better relations with the U.S. and with the West entirely.
So they're behind all this. They want sanctions relief. We have to keep in mind this is a population that's very young and, for the most part, very well educated and they feel hamstrung by the fact that there are these sanctions. They feel that the economy can't get ahead.
They believe that there is going to be a big economic boost and there's a lot of things the Iranian government thinks is going to happen very quickly, the unfreezing of foreign assets, being able to sell oil on international markets, development of its oil sector.
But first and foremost, and most quickly, probably, probably the most important thing is the fact that Iran is going to be able to do business internationally, because its banks are going to be able to do business internationally. Right now, if you go to Tehran, you would have to go there with a sack
of money to actually do business. That's going to change, going to make it a lot easier for companies to invest. And I can tell you from flying to Tehran, at various points over the past couple of months, those planes, even at this point, are filled with European business people looking for the markets of the future.
HOWELL: Iran reconnecting with the international community.
Fred Pleitgen, live for us in Germany. Fred, thank you so much and we'll stay in touch.
And let's turn to our Oren Liebermann who joins us in Jerusalem.
Oren, so let's talk about the reaction from Israel, the more measured response we're hearing now from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, more measured response than what we heard when this deal was being negotiated.
OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Right, he used some very harsh criticisms, some very harsh rhetoric as the negotiations were ongoing leading up to the framework agreement and the final agreement.
Since that agreement was signed, essentially since this agreement was finalized, Netanyahu has been more measured and scaled back some of that criticism.
He released a statement almost immediately after the E.U. press conference last night, where he said that it's up to now the powers and the IAEA to make sure that Iran sticks to the letters and the conditions of the agreement, that they have to very closely monitor what Iran does with its nuclear program.
The prime minister says that Iran still wants to achieve nuclear weapons and may still do this secretly but not the sort of rhetoric, not the language we've seen him use in previous statements.
Now he does say at the end of his statement that he released last night, he says Israel will continue to do whatever it has to do to maintain its own security. That perhaps a reference to what he has said repeatedly and what other Israeli politicians have said repeatedly, that, for Israel, all options remain on the table, which is to say nobody here has ruled out a strike if Israel decides it's necessary.
But again, as you point out, George, he's much more measured in his criticism of what's happening now and his insistence at this point is that the international community monitor Iran as these sanctions are lifted.
HOWELL: Fred, I'd like to put the -- I mean, I'm sorry -- we -- Oren, I'd like to put the same question to you that I put to Fred, and that question is, what is the overall reaction to people in Israel about this deal?
LIEBERMANN: Well, it's almost the polar opposite of -- from what tells -- Fred tells us is the reaction in Iran. If the vast majority of Iranians support the deal, I suspect, in speaking to many Israelis, the vast majority of Israelis oppose the deal. The difference here was that how best to handle that criticism?
Some aligned with Prime Minister Netanyahu and said go all out against it, even criticizing the U.S. There were others here who said that he took the wrong tack here and should have worked with the U.S. to get a better deal for Israel. But no surprise here, I think that many Israelis oppose this deal from the very beginning and still oppose it to this day.
HOWELL: Oren Liebermann, live for us in Jerusalem, Oren, thank you.
And, Fred Pleitgen as well, live for us at Ramstein Air Base in Germany, gentlemen, thank you and we'll stay in touch with you.
In the U.S., on the campaign trail, Republicans that are running for president were quick to slam the Obama administration for lifting sanctions against Iran and even more so after learning about the prisoner swap with Tehran. Listen.
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DONALD TRUMP, REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: So I've been hitting him hard. And I think I might have had something to do with it. You want to know the truth, who's using? It's a part of my staple thing. I mean, I go crazy when I hear about this.
And we're getting back four people that didn't do anything wrong. That's the way we negotiate. That's the way we negotiate. It's so sad. It's so sad. And this has been going on forever.
SEN. TED CRUZ (R), TEXAS: And let me say there is a false moral equivalence in a deal like this.
people
CRUZ: Pastor Saeed was in prison for the crime of preaching the gospel. He shouldn't have been there.
Amir Hekmati, a U.S. Marine, shouldn't have been there in that prison.
Jason Rezaian, a reporter who was imprisoned --
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CRUZ: -- for reporting on the news, shouldn't have been there.
And so while we celebrate their return, this deal serves as a piece of propaganda for both Iran and the Obama administration.
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HOWELL: And while U.S. officials are praising Iran's certification in the nuclear agreement, they've also been urging caution as well.
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JOSH EARNEST, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: There's ample reason to distrust what Iran says about their nuclear program. Their track record on this is less than stellar.
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HOWELL: For a little more context on this, a short time ago, my colleague, Natalie Allen, spoke with Reza Marashi. He's a research director for the National Iranian American Council and also a close friend of Jason Rezaian. Rezaian is "The Washington Post" journalist who was freed as part of Saturday 's prisoner swap. Listen.
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NATALIE ALLEN, CNN ANCHOR: Now I want to first ask you about the prisoner release.
Did you think it would happen concurrent with the implementation day for Iran?
REZA MARASHI, NATIONAL IRANIAN AMERICAN COUNCIL: It was far from guaranteed but that was certainly the hope, not only by myself but by many others. And I think there's no doubt in my mind that the nuclear deal helped facilitate Jason's freedom along with the freedom of others.
The U.S. and Iran now have a diplomatic channel to try and resolve issues. That's the channel that was used to get Jason and others out. But also I think it is important to note that the longer that the Iranian government holds onto prisoners like Jason who haven't done anything wrong, it increases the political cost for them to do so.
So they were looking for a face-saving way out as well and the prisoner swap gave everybody what they needed, a win-win situation.
ALLEN: And as far as bigger picture, what does this moment represent, with all of the mistrust on both sides, on several sides; the world has arrived at letting Iran back into the global community?
MARASHI: Well, it's a triumph of diplomacy because Iran verifiably can no longer build a nuclear weapon, does not have the technical capability to do so and it will never be allowed to develop the capabilities to do so.
And the international community was able to achieve that, without firing a single bullet or dropping a single bomb. And that is light years ahead of and light years away from where we were in 2003, when we invaded Iraq.
So, truly, it's a victory for the United States and the rest of the international community.
ALLEN: Yes and, moving forward, how do you convince Israel, conservatives in the United States and elsewhere that this is something that is positive for the world and we can rebuild trust with Iran?
MARASHI: Well, the interesting thing about the Israeli reaction to the Iran nuclear deal is that it has not been homogenous.
While you have Prime Minister Netanyahu and other Israeli officials closely aligned with the prime minister, saying very negative things about the Iran deal, you have very senior political, military and intelligence officials in Israel, saying, no, wait a minute, this deal actually does prevent Iran from building a nuclear weapon and that is a good thing, not just for Israeli and American security but for global security.
So it's not as clear-cut as the prime minister would make it out to be.
ALLEN: I want to ask you, among the tweets that came out from this day was this from the Iranian foreign minister, Javad Zarif.
He said, "It's now time for all, especially Muslim nations, to join hands and rid the world of violent extremism. Iran is ready."
What is your response to that tweet?
MARASHI: Well, I think the Iranian government, more generally, and the Iranian foreign minister, more specifically, is saying all of the right things. Because you read a tweet like that and you say, great, let's get down to business.
But now it's time for not only the Iranian foreign minister and the Iranian government but also other governments in the Middle East to practice what they preach and really take the various conflicts that they're participating in to the negotiating table, to try and find win-win outcomes that can stop the killing in places like Syria, in places like Iraq, in places like Yemen, because no side can force their will upon the other.
And that's why it's going to take countries like Iran and Saudi Arabia to really sit down at the negotiating table and hash out their differences, once and for all.
ALLEN: We thank you for joining us, Reza Marashi. Thank you.
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HOWELL: For us to get to this point, it has taken years of diplomacy. Looking back between 2006 and 2010, the U.N. Security Council passed six different resolutions, all targeting Iran's nuclear program.
In 2013, the P5+1 countries, the U.S., Russia, China, France, Britain and Germany, reached an interim deal with Iran, calling on the country to limit its nuclear activities in return for lighter sanctions while a long-term agreement was negotiated.
Talks were then extended until April of last year. That is when a framework agreement was reached.
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HOWELL: Then in July, the U.S. and Iran agreed to a nuclear deal during a final meeting in Vienna.
Iran is ready to ramp up its oil production after sanctions were lifted but that could worsen oil prices, which are already at their lowest. Details just ahead.
Plus: Burkina Faso's president vowed to put terrorists out of action after militants killed dozens of people in his country's capital. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM.
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HOWELL: More now on our top story this day.
The U.S. and European Union lifting sanctions against Iran. It comes after the U.N.'s Nuclear Agency says that Tehran fulfilled the requirements to restrict its nuclear program.
In turn, Iran now gets access to the international banking system again. It also opens the door for Iran to sell its oil on the open market.
But the idea of more oil in an already flooded market got an unfavorable reaction from investors. Crude prices in Dubai and Qatar dropped 6 percent on news of this deal.
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HOWELL: Our John Defterios takes a closer look now on why Iran boosting its oil production could make an already brutal price war even worse.
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JOHN DEFTERIOS, CNN EMERGING MARKETS EDITOR: From oil-rich West Karun on the border of Iraq to Tehran's bustling bazaars and its ultra- modern malls.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is my brand, Adidas (ph).
DEFTERIOS (voice-over): Iran looks forward to more prosperous times when its oil is sold again on world markets.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is their one big salable commodity. And they have a large growing and young population, that they have to get some economic growth for. DEFTERIOS (voice-over): A decade of sanctions has badly damaged the
Iranian economy, which is now on the brink of recession as regional tensions heat up. The World Bank believes Iran's economic growth could reach 6 percent after sanctions end.
No wonder that Iran's oil minister says, maximizing output is a must.
BIJAN ZANGENAH, IRANIAN OIL MINISTER: Can we wait enough to produce after lifting the sanction?
Who can accept it in Iran?
Can we lose our share in the market?
It's not fair.
DEFTERIOS (voice-over): In recent days, Iranian officials have hinted that it may take a slower, more subtle approach towards ramping up production as oil prices collapse.
But its official goal was to get back to pre-sanction levels by adding 1.5 million barrels a day by the end of the year. Iran has increased investment by the major oil companies could further boost production.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have to invest, we have to invest under any condition.
DEFTERIOS (voice-over): Arch-rival Saudi Arabia is already anticipating the added supply.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The Saudis have already started to discount their sales to Europe in order to better price their product against the coming Iranian sales.
DEFTERIOS (voice-over): All this comes as Iranian and Saudi leaders battle for political influence in the Middle East. The rivalry has stoked bloody proxy wars in Syria and Yemen and has hurt the effort to battle ISIS. Saudis fear the added oil revenue will further embolden Iran and allow it to act more aggressively in the region.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're really seeing the struggle for power in that part of the world, between Iran and Saudi Arabia, shifting over to the oil supply area.
DEFTERIOS (voice-over): In other words, an already brutal price war could get even worse.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a pure business competition. And I think this business competition will continue, regardless of any OPEC meeting could take place in the near future.
DEFTERIOS (voice-over): Oil revenues will help Iran. But lifting sanctions could not come at a worse time for all the other producers -- John Defterios, CNN, Abu Dhabi.
(END VIDEOTAPE) HOWELL: Now as you heard there in John's report, the lifting of
sanctions should provide a much-needed to jolt to the Iranian economy, which has cratered in recent years. Earlier, Bloomberg reporter Golnar Motevalli spoke to my colleague, Natalie Allen, on the view from Tehran.
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GOLNAR MOTEVALLI, BLOOMBERG NEWS: The reaction on the streets last night was relatively muted, actually, but I think we'll see more celebrations tonight.
But, broadly speaking, this is going to mean a huge amount for the Iranian economy. Ordinary Iranians, across particularly the middle classes, are going to be very positively affected by this news.
Already we've seen a reaction on the Tehran stock exchange yesterday that was very positive. That broke a six-month record yesterday. So there's a huge amount of anticipation that, what happened yesterday, implementation day, is going to bring a huge amount of economic relief and release a large number of funds to Iran and bring in a huge amount of foreign investment for the economy.
ALLEN: And remind us how bad the economy has been there in Iran and what the outlook has been up until now for younger people in Iran with work.
MOTEVALLI: Well, unemployment -- youth unemployment, particularly, here is very high. I think it's touching around 24 percent.
Obviously the sanctions had a massive impact on Iran's ability to export oil, hit Iran's access to the banking system, financial transactions, it hit every sector of Iran's economy here.
And by 2013, we saw the economic growth had gone down around to around -- it had gone into negative figures, -6 percent at some point. Gradually there have been some signs of a recovery but nowhere near enough that Iran needs.
And hopefully officials are saying that the removal of these sanctions are going to really boost economic growth for Iran, so they can have a recovery, so by next year, we can see that GDP will probably grow between 4 percent and 5 percent, according to the IMF.
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HOWELL: In addition to the lifting of sanctions, the U.S. and Iran have agreed to a historic prisoner swap. CNN spoke earlier with the wife of Pastor Saeed Abedini, one of the American captives released on Saturday, and she says her family is overjoyed at the news.
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NAGHENAH (PH) ABEDINI, WIFE OF PASTOR SAEED ABEDINI: It is a great, joyful day. My kids cannot stop just running around and asking me every other second when they will get to hug Daddy, so, it's just -- it's three and a half years and waiting.
This morning, I got messages through my Iranian friends that there was news out in the Iranian media that four Americans were released. And soon after that, I got a call from State Department.
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HOWELL: As we heard earlier, "The Washington Post" journalist, Jason Rezaian, has also been released.
The newspaper publisher released a statement saying the following, quote, "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 safely left Iran, we will have more to share."
You're watching CNN NEWSROOM. And still ahead, more on the talks that freed these U.S. prisoners from Iran.
Plus we'll hear from an ex-Iranian captain on her reaction to the news of this release.
And a key Western ally in the fight against terror mourns victims of a deadly attack. We look at why Al Qaeda gunmen targeted a popular hotel in a West African country. Live from Atlanta and around the globe this hour, you're watching CNN worldwide.
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HOWELL: Welcome back to our viewers here in the United States and around the world, you're watching CNN NEWSROOM, good to have you with us. I'm George Howell.
The headlines we're following this hour:
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GEORGE HOWELL, CNN ANCHOR: Burkina Faso now is observing three days of mourning for the many victims involved and we're learning more details about them. Let's now go live to David McKenzie, who has been following this situation live in Johannesburg for us.
David, what more can you tell us about the many nationalities of people who were caught up in this attack?
DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, last night the presidential team in Burkina Faso said at least 18 nationalities were involved but the details of who was killed in this horrific attack is slowly trickling out, the latest coming from the Canadian prime minister, Justin Trudeau, saying six Canadians were killed, most likely in the cafe that those attackers first struck in the opening hours of this attack that then led to siege in the hotel.
There were also two Swiss, four Ukrainians, including, tragically, a 9-year-old child; two French and one American, according to U.S. State Department officials; a missionary working in that region. So this is clearly a very international burden that is being getting out of this attack with these attackers who, four were killed, two of them women attackers, it appears -- George.
HOWELL: And, David, what more can be done about this threat?
We're talking about a nation that is surrounded by other countries that have many of these jihadists groups operating.
What could be done within that country to help stop the threat?
MCKENZIE: That's very difficult. This area is a very huge geographical area, much of it covered by desert, often not tightly controlled by government troops. What you saw in Mali, next door to Burkina Faso, was, in fact, Islamic groups pushing in, almost taking over the entire country some years ago.
And though they pushed them back and though Burkina Faso has now a more stable government, that entire region is dealing, as you say, with multiple threats from terror groups.
Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb was seen to be some years ago a spent force, at least a disorganized one, that it appears, say analysts, to be regrouping with these two attacks, both the one in Burkina Faso and November at the Radisson hotel in Bamako, Mali.
This expanse, the collapse of Libya and other countries in that region means that there's just a very difficult scenario facing both the country and the security forces and international players, which are very much on the ground, particularly the French and the American in both an advisory role, when it comes to the Americans, and to an active military role when it comes to the French -- George.
HOWELL: David McKenzie, live for us in Johannesburg, David, thank you so much for your reporting there.
And as David mentioned, Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb claims it carried out the Burkina Faso siege. An expert on the region tells CNN that the militant group is resilient, that it is resourceful and it is increasingly attacking so-called soft targets, like the Splendid Hotel in Burkina Faso's capital, Ouagadougou.
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J. PETER PHAM (PH), DIRECTOR, ATLANTIC COUNCIL: They're remarkably resilient. This is a group that has gone from full-fledged insurgency to territorial occupation; they were part of the Islamist coalition that took over Northern Mali several years ago before the French intervention at the beginning of 2013. They have engaged in hidden rut attacks against the U.N. peacekeeping
force in Mali, which has turned that mission into the deadliest U.N. mission. So they're constantly evolving tactics. And they have hit on a soft spot, these targets like this hotel and the hotel in Mali in November, frequented by the international community, likely to cause casualties and get attention to precisely because of the number of nations involved.
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HOWELL: Pham also told --
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HOWELL: -- CNN there are growing concerns that Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb and other jihadist groups will further spread across Africa.
You're watching CNN NEWSROOM. Five American prisoners in Iran set free. More on the international talks that led to their release -- next.
Plus, we look back on the Persian Gulf War, 25 years later. Stay with us.
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HOWELL: And welcome back. Our top story this day: the United States and E.U. are lifting some economic sanctions against Iran. This comes after the International Atomic Energy Agency verified that Iran has fulfilled the steps needed to curb its nuclear program as part of an agreement with world powers.
The announcement came as Iran released five American prisoners. Four prisoners were exchanged for seven Iranians that were held in the United States and a fifth American was freed as part of a separate deal.
CNN's global affairs correspondent Elise Labott has more on the talks that led to the release of these U.S. prisoners.
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ELISE LABOTT, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: The freeing of four U.S. prisoners, including "Washington Post" journalist Jason Rezaian, came as part of an unprecedented prisoner swap between the U.S. and Iran. It was the result of some 14 months of secret negotiations between American and Iranian diplomats.
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JOHN KERRY, SECRETARY OF STATE: I'm very happy to say that, as we speak, we have received confirmation that five Americans, who had been unjustly detained in Iran, have been released from custody.
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LABOTT: Now the release came on the same day when the International Atomic Energy Agency, the United Nations' nuclear watchdog, announced that Iran is in compliance with the deal to restrict its nuclear program.
As a result, the U.S. and the international community has lifted economic --
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LABOTT: -- sanctions against Iran.
Now U.S. officials say that after the deal was reached in July, talk on the prisoner swap intensified. Secretary of state John Kerry said that nuclear agreement certainly accelerated the prisoner swap, as did the improvement in U.S.-Iranian relations, but that those talks were on a separate track than the nuclear talks.
That was part of this deal, Iran agreed to release Jason Rezaian as well as former marine Amir Hekmati, Christian pastor Saeed Abedini and Nosratollah Khosravi, who we really haven't heard that much about, either him or the circumstances surrounding his detention.
Now a fifth U.S. citizen, Matthew Trevithick, was not part of those negotiations, that longer talk over 14 months, but was also released along with the four Americans by Iran as a goodwill gesture.
And meanwhile, seven Iranians facing charges in the U.S. will be pardoned or will receive clemency as part of this deal. The U.S. officials say none of those Iranians were charged with terrorism or violence and said those were only considered, had been convicted of sanctions violations or the violations of the trade embargo against Iran.
Now Washington has also agreed to drop charges for 14 Iranians considered fugitives. And there's what they call a red notice out by Interpol for their arrest.
Siamak Namazi, a dual U.S.-Iranian business man, was detained in October. He was not part of this deal and was not released.
And neither was Robert Levinson, who is that former FBI agent who disappeared on Iran's Kish Island in 2007.
Now Iran has said it has no information on Levinson. But as part of this recent deal, U.S. officials say that Iran has assured them, they will continue to seek information about Levinson's whereabouts -- Elise Labott, CNN, Washington.
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HOWELL: Earlier my colleague, Jonathan Mann, spoke with Roxana Saberi, about the prisoners' release. She is a journalist who was held by Iran in 2009 and recalled her own experience in an Iranian jail.
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ROXANA SABERI, JOURNALIST, FORMER IRANIAN PRISONER: Well, I was very surprised when I heard the news this morning but ecstatic. I'm very happy for the families. I know they've been waiting for a long time. And this has been a long journey.
So I'm just very happy and relieved for those prisoners to be freed.
JONATHAN MANN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: So much of this is Orwellian and bizarre and hard to understand but if anyone does, you do. You endured it.
What do you think these men have suffered?
What did you suffer when you were behind bars in Iran?
SABERI: Well, Jonathan, everybody's experience is a little bit different. But there are some parallels. Most often when prisoners are put into jail in Iran, for the first several days, you undergo intense interrogation. You'll be put in solitary confinement most of the time. And that could last weeks or months; for some people, it has lasted years.
Some people experience physical torture. I did not. I was under a lot of psychological pressure or something that's been called white torture which doesn't leave a mark on your body but it can devastate your mind and your conscience. That's a combination of being put in isolation and being told that you committed crimes you didn't commit and being pressured to confess to those things.
So they're very good at trying to rob you of your dignity. And that can be difficult. I hope that these men who are going to be freed, that their path ahead, they'll be able to sort through some of these things.
MANN: What did it feel like for you when you were freed?
What do you think is going through their minds right now?
SABERI: It was bittersweet for me. Well, first of all, I should say, I was shocked when I was told I was going to be freed. I had been sentenced to eight years in prison for espionage, which I denied. And I went through an appellate trial and then I was freed the next day.
I couldn't believe it until I was on the plane getting out of the country. I thought, what if these guys change their minds?
It was bittersweet for me because I was leaving behind political prisoners, Iranians, who I believed also should also be freed. But it was sweet. Of course, because I just wanted freedom. I just wanted to be able to walk down the street without a blindfold on, to ride in a car without handcuffs on, to shut off the lights at night or to see the blue sky and make phone calls and write emails and to be with my family and my friends. MANN: Why do you think Iran arrests people like you, like these five?
SABERI: It's a really good question, Jonathan, and I still can't be sure why they arrested me. But I think there are possible reasons. One is that they want to make an example out of some people that they arrest, for example, if you're a high-profile prisoner, a journalist, dual national citizen, they might be trying to send a message to other people who are like you, you know, don't try to cross any lines. Don't be too outspoken. They might have wanted to use these prisoners all along as political pawns or as part of a prisoner exchange.
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SABERI: We don't know that yet. They might try to get information from you and in some cases, for political prisoners, they're pressured even to spy for their captors once they're released. So it could be any one or maybe more of these reasons.
MANN: One last question for you, in all of the appropriate celebration about the people who'll be going home on both sides, there are two Americans still in Iran, one who's clearly behind bars, one who is missing.
Do you have any idea why they were left out of this arrangement?
SABERI: I don't know. And one of them -- you're talking about Robert Levenson, who's been missing, I believe, since 2007; Siamak Namazi is a good friend of mine, Iranian American who has been jailed for more than three months.
No charges have been made against him. No evidence presented according to his family and friends. I hope that he will be released soon. Maybe they're holding onto them or one or both of them for some kind of future deal. I don't know.
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HOWELL: Roxana Saberi, speaking with our own Jonathan Mann.
This weekend marks 25 years since the start of the Persian Gulf War. We look back on how it changed TV coverage in conflict zones. Stay with us.
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HOWELL: I want to update our viewers in the United States, who may be watching about a weather situation that's developing on the West Coast of Florida, where a tornado was confirmed -- Derek Van Dam.
DEREK VAN DAM, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes, that's correct. Sarasota County just south of Tampa Bay, that's the area that we've been monitoring very closely over the past 45 minutes to an hour.
There have been multiple tornado warnings that have been issued by the National Weather Service and several confirmed tornadoes that have actually made landfall within the West Coast of the U.S. state of Florida.
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VAN DAM: Again, multiple tornadoes being sighted by professional trained spotters. Some of them were on the ground and there is damage coming out of that area.
HOWELL: It's one of the worst situations, though, happening overnight, when people are sleeping.
VAN DAM: That's correct.
HOWELL: Derek, thank you and we'll stay in touch with you.
Updating again our top story that we're following this day. A milestone for Iran with sanctions now lifted by the United States and the European Union. This after the IAEA says that Tehran is complying with the deal to restrict its nuclear program.
Meanwhile, the United States and Iran have agreed to a prisoner swap. Five Americans held in Iran are on their way home. Four of them are being exchanged for seven Iranians that are held by the U.S. for sanctions violations. A fifth American has been freed as part of a different deal.
This historic day for Iran comes exactly 25 years after the start of the Persian Gulf War. It was the first major conflict that featured live reporting from the front lines and those who were there, they remember it vividly. Former and current CNN journalists take a look back.
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BERNARD SHAW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is -- something is happening outside. The skies over Baghdad have been illuminated. We're seeing bright flashes going off all over the sky.
INGRID FORMANEK, CNN PRODUCER: It was the first time that so-called reporting from so-called behind enemy lines was going to be attempted. And many people thought it was lunacy but as a journalist, you'd want to be there.
It's a defining moment. It's history happening. That's why we were journalists. We want to see things happening, we want to report them, we want to tell the world about it. We managed to establish a four-wire which is a very simple device. It's basically like having two open phone lines installed. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, the first person to recommend it to us in
Atlanta was --
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: -- Robert Wiener, Robert was our combat producer. What is ironic is that we were able to get the cooperation of the Iraqis in putting it in.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The sky continues to be filled with tracers. That's the anti-aircraft weapons continue to fire.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I will never forget as up on the monitors in our newsroom, first the live feed of CNN continued and then within minutes, with our permission, other networks started to take our feed.
ROBERT WIENER, FORMER CNN PRODUCER: Looking back, we were almost freer to report what we saw in Baghdad than the Western press corps in Saudi Arabia and certainly the journalists in Israel. The censorship was much tighter. It was one of the greatest moments of my life, not only because of what we accomplished journalistically but the bonding that took part between those of us who were there and those of us who remained.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Between those, the first war in Iraq and the second, the war in Bosnia, a quarter of a million people killed and when you look at it today, so little really on the ground changed. A slightly different political dynamic. That's the perspective that you get from coverage wars close-up, is that you realize there's a certain amount of futility.
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HOWELL: Our CNN colleagues looking back at the Persian Gulf War.
And with that, we thank you for joining us this hour. I'm George Howell at the CNN Center in Atlanta. I'll be back after the break with another hour of news from around the world. Thank you for watching CNN, the world's news leader.
