Five Americans freed from Iranian detention this week returned to US soil early Tuesday following an initial stop in Doha, Qatar, two US officials told CNN.
Emad Shargi, Morad Tahbaz and Siamak Namazi, along with two Americans who have not been publicly named arrived at Fort Belvoir’s Davison Army Airfield for an emotional reunion with their family members.
The freed Americans, who were released Monday as part of a wider deal that includes the US unfreezing $6 billion in Iranian funds, will have the option to participate in a Department of Defense program known as PISA (Post Isolation Support Activities) to help them acclimate back to normal life now that they are back in the United States.
The return of the five Americans, all of whom had been designated as wrongfully detained, caps a significant diplomatic breakthrough after years of complicated indirect negotiations between the US and Iran, who do not have formal diplomatic ties.
Hopefully the two countries will continue to talk.
Historically, the USA was the worst thing to ever happen to Iran, and as a result Iran became one of the worst actors in the Middle East. I suspect they continue to need a mutual time-out.
Diplomacy does not wait for the future. As long as you talk bad things won’t happen.
Remember that Blinken negotiated the 5 state denuclearization of Iran that Trump blew out of the water. A lot of time and effort on a treaty that worked.
The IAEA has reported that Iran has severely slowed its enrichment program. So who knows.
The problem is, what’s the point in making a deal with the US when you never know when they’ll get another Trump to blow it all up? Now short term deals like this, I can see the point.
I’m sure that’s a topic, just never stop talking.