U.S. reporter, 3 others released by Iran
Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian among prisoners freed in swap
Iranian state television is reporting that the government has freed four dual-nationality prisoners and a person close to Iran's judiciary confirmed to The Associated Press that Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian was one of them.
The announcement of the exchange comes as the International Atomic Energy Agency was close to certifying that Iran met all commitments under the landmark nuclear deal with six world powers. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry was meeting in Vienna with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and other officials involved in the accord, and it was expected that such certification could come Saturday. The official report did not identify the prisoners and U.S. officials would not immediately confirm the announcement. It had been indicated a prisoner deal would be separate from Saturday's expected "implementation" of the nuclear pact.
The person in Iran, speaking on condition of anonymity, said three of them were Rezaian, former U.S. Marine Amir Hekmati, pastor Saeed Abedini. It was unclear who the fourth was, but indications were it may be Nosratollah Khosravi. The person in Iran said the four were freed Saturday in exchange for the release of seven Iranians held in U.S. prisons.