WASHINGTON (AP) – Diplomatic triumph or travesty, America’s relationship with one of its most intractable foes took two giant leaps forward this weekend when Iran released four Americans in a prisoner swap after locking in last summer’s nuclear deal and receiving some $100 billion in sanctions relief.
The announcements culminated a stunning few days of activity for the Obama administration and particularly Secretary of State John Kerry, who led the diplomatic outreach to Tehran at President Barack Obama’s direction through years of slow-grinding negotiations.
Speaking from the White House, Obama on Sunday hailed the “historic progress through diplomacy,” long the centerpiece of his foreign policy vision, instead of another war in the Middle East.
Three of the American detainees – Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian, former U.S. Marine Amir Hekmati and pastor Saeed Abedini – arrived in Germany en route to a U.S. military hospital. They will return home after medical evaluations.
The fourth, Nosratollah Khosravi-Roodsari, opted to remain in Iran, officials said.