WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama celebrated "a good day" after his administration's successful prisoner exchange with Iran and last year's nuclear deal, which the president said would stop Iran from getting its hands on a nuclear bomb.
"This is a good day, because once again we're seeing what's possible with strong American diplomacy," Obama said in a Sunday statement at the White House.
The president touted his administration's efforts at diplomacy, "rather than resorting to another war in the Middle East," for advancing relations between the two adversaries. Obama also pointed to the speedy release of U.S. sailors who had strayed into Iranian waters and were briefly detained on Friday as more evidence of the benefits of diplomacy.
"Some here in Washington said this was the start of another hostage crisis," Obama said, referring to some Republicans in Congress. "Instead we secured their release in less than 24 hours."
Five American prisoners were freed Saturday. Four of them were part of a prisoner release deal between the U.S. and Iran was secretly more than a year in the making, including Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian. As part of the exchange, the U.S. is releasing or dropping charges against seven Iranians who were being held in the country on sanctions violations.
A senior administration official said that those detained were facing very lengthy sentences, including Rezaian, who was potentially looking at a sentence of multiple decades. Three of the prisoners are scheduled to arrive in the U.S. on Sunday. Two more prisoners were released Saturday.
The president waited to speak publicly about the prisoner exchange over the weekend until the administration was certain "that they and their families were on that plane and heading home," the official added.
The delay in the release of the prisoners was not related to making sure that sanctions relief from the nuclear deal went through, the official said. Rather, the delay was caused by flight logistics and a significant hurdle that popped up in the 11th hour. Rezaian wanted to leave the country with his wife and mother with him. And it “took extra time to make sure that they were located and on that plane,” said the official. “We felt very strongly that the Rezaian family had the right to leave together.”
Obama said while he was grateful Rezaian and the other prisoners were coming home, his administration would "not rest" until it secures the release of Bob Levinson, a U.S. citizen who still remains missing in Iran.
"Today’s progress, these things are a reminder of what we can achieve when we lead with strength and wisdom," Obama noted. He added that he was hopeful the recent agreements with the regime "signal an opportunity for Iran to work more cooperatively" around the world.
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