eight years of war with a country that is supported by many big powers. >> and it is worth mentioning whatever you think, wherever we are now, that saddam supported by the u.s. government and with our full knowledge used sarin and mustard gas on hundreds of thousand of iranians. good evening. it is 11:00 p.m. on the east coast. multibillion dollar economic sanctions against iran have been lifted. less known in america, known and this after the nuclear watchdog, felt by everyone in iran. the iaea says iran has completed >> and it was a mistake of the united states at that time. all the necessary steps in a they made a bad memory for deal to restrict its nuclear iranians. program. u.s. secretary of state john >> but still people are, indeed, kerry called the world, quote, a really, really nice here. safer place because of these >> because people here don't hate americans. you had a coup. developments. also tonight, five americans and then a revolution held prisoners in iran have been release dollars, including everything. washington post reporter jason and then we captured your embassy. rozan, who has been jailed since we didn't kill each other. 2014. cnn and parts unknown had the we didn't have a real fight. unique opportunity to sit down so it can be political

for an interview with he and his misunderstanding which is wife in june of 2014, just weeks resolved, which will be resolved maybe i hope. what makes this simple salad the best simple salad ever? before he was taken into detention in iran. next, anthony bureau dane's interview as his show, parts unknown, takes us all to iran. i'm poppy harlow in new york. good knight. heart healthy california walnuts. the best simple veggie dish ever? heart healthy california walnuts. ♪ the best simple dinner ever? heart healthy california walnuts. great tasting, heart healthy california walnuts. so simple. get the recipes at walnuts.org. ♪ i am so confused. it wasn't supposed to be like this. of all the places, of all the countries, all the years of

traveling, it's here in iran that i am greeted most warmly by total strangers. the other stuff is there, the iran we've read about, heard about, seen in the news. but this, this i wasn't prepared t...to help sense danger before7 was engiyou do. . for. because when you live to innovate, you innovate to live. ♪ i took a walk the all-new audi q7. through this a higher form of intelligence has arrived. beautiful world ♪ ♪ felt the cool rain on my shoulder ♪ ♪ found something good in this beautiful world ♪ ♪ i felt the rain getting colder ♪ ♪ sha, la, la, la, la ♪ sha, la, la, la, la, la ♪ sha, la, la, la, la, la ♪ sha, la, la, la, la, la

♪ ♪ ♪ >> thank you. good to be here finally. it's taken some time. it's gotten squarer. over the years. like a lot of time. brighter. like four years i've been bigger. trying. finally. it's gotten thinner. tehran. city of nearly 8 million people. even curvier. but what's next?

capital of iran. for all binge watchers. it feels like there are movie geeks. neighborhoods of rome that's sports freaks. built like these. x1 from xfinity will change the way you experience tv. after all this time i finally had my chance to see a country i'd heard so much about. the weather is nice. i don't know what i was expecting, but it's nice. a big blank spot on nearly every traveler's resume. merci. delicious. thank you. ♪ ♪ [ in child's voice ] >> once upon a time there was an ancient kingdom where they found a lot of magical black stuff under the ground. but two other kingdoms had the key to the magical black stuff, and when they wouldn't share, the people of the ancient kingdom got mad. they voted, and their leader

said the magical black stuff is ours to keep. but the other kingdoms were afraid of losing all of the magical black stuff so they gave money to some bad men to get rid of the leader. they put back in power another leader, and they gave him money too. to some he was a good king, but to others he could be very cruel. after many years the people of the kingdom got mad. this time even madder. so they scared the king away forever, and then things started to get really messed up. >> okay. that's a simplistic and incomplete way to sum up the last hundred-odd years of iranian history. but the point is there were a lot of issues and differing

agendas leading to the explosion of rage known as the iranian hostage crisis. look, we know what iran, the government, does. than anyone can conceivably eat. george w. bush famously called is that -- >> yes, if you don't like your them part of the axis of evil. guest, you don't put anything. their proxies in iraq have done [ laughter ] american soldiers real harm. >> and here we have a large very there is no doubt of this. big meatball. >> kuftarisi. but i hope i can be forgiven for ground beef, onion, and cooked rice. finding these undeniable truths walnuts, dried apricots, boiled egg and barberries. hard to reconcile with how we are treated on the streets >> anyway, we are a very everywhere we go. so forget about the politics if interesting nation. so forget about the politics, if you can, for a moment. how about the food? the food here is amazing. >> and very, very confusing. >> extremely confusing. >> the contradictions are just -- >> enormous. >> enormous. ♪ chelo kabob, as close as you can get to a national dish. >> iranians, we take you into our house and take you to our and the king of kebabs. hearts. in that way we are extreme. ground lamb with spices, a good we are extremists in so many ways. place to start. >> you see this tortured relationship between america and so what do you guys do for a iran for many years. living?

>> i export nuts. how do you think most americans >> i am a curator of will react when they see this? >> they will start coming. contemporary art. >> yes. >> which is an exploding scene [ laughter ] here. >> three different culture, abyssian culture, iranian and islamic culture. >> it is very important for us >> it has changed a lot during the last decade. as iranians, to get true, to make sure that we are seen as humans here and not the so this is the actual marrying. so-called enemy or the darkness of iran. i would recommend you to try like you go to anybody's house in iran, and i am sure they will welcome you. this one and this one and this one. >> okay. >> why not? ♪ >> the axis of evil. we are not the axis of evil. just normal evil like everybody else. >> so a chelo kabob wouldn't be [ laughter ] complete without persian rice. >> ten years ago iran was -- fluffy, long grained, perfectly people, they had hope for seasoned with saffron, the rice future. in this country is like nothing young people, they wanted to you've ever had. travel. they had a little bit of money >> tony, first you should take but because of sanction, this the butter and put it on your sanction really squeeze everybody. rice. eight years, no foreign investment here. and so it was very difficult time. and then the population is really young. 70% are under 35. and the thing is, they deserve much more than what they have now. they want to have good jobs. they want to make, you know, have families. but it's not possible now for them. bon appétit. >> bon appétit. >> i hope we can have more faith in the ordinary americans, because every little change in the policy of the western

>> it's good. >> it's really good, yeah. country, it really, really affects our lives here. ♪ >> the tower, iran's tallest building and a symbol of it was a hopeful time when i arrived in iran. national pride. a window had opened. there had been a slight loosening of restrictions since the election of president hassan it rises a thousand feet in the rouhani, and there was optimism air and looks out at all tehran for a deal that could lead to an easing of crippling economic and beyond. sanctions imposed because of iran's continued nuclear program. trade restrictions that have been very, very difficult for everyone. ♪ but there's a push happening between opposing factions in the government. we're out on the observation on one hand iranians are the deck, taking it all in, trying to make some sense of it all. descendants of ancient persia, our time in iran was coming to the empire of poetry, flowers, an end, and it was impossible to say, was a window opening? the highly influential culture that goes back thousands of or was it only a moment in time years. before it shut again? you learn pretty quickly that in but the ruling clerical and iran there is plenty of gray military class are at best

ambivalent, at worst actively area. hostile to much of that tradition. severe religious-based restrictions of speech, dress, behavior were ushered in by the an undefined territory. rise of the ayatollah during the 1979 islamic revolution. where is the line? it seems to change with barely a ♪ moment's notice. okay. here it comes. >> we should leave now. it's dangerous. ♪ >> this is the first time that ♪ we have experienced such thing. >> stay away from the glass. [ singing in a foreign language ] >> please come this way. please follow me. this way. ♪ [ drums ] >> so how does one have fun in iran these days?

this is a line that is constantly being tested. >> please stop filming. alcohol is, of course, you've tried to forget your hepatitis c. forbidden. but you shouldn't forget this. hep c is a serious disease. you can get away with listening left untreated it can lead to to rock or rap, sort of, liver damage and potentially liver cancer. sometimes. but you haven't been forgotten. but you cannot yourself rock or there's never been a better time be seen to visibly rock. to rethink your hep c because people like you may benefit from scientific advances that could help cure your hep c. visit hepchope.com or call a hep c educator to help prepare you for a conversation with your hep c specialist. ♪ [eerie music] i am the ghost of cookies' past...residue. oh...so gross. well, you didn't use pam. not everyone in iran is delighted with what their so it looks like you're stuwith me! country has become since the revolution. but even insinuating discontent bargain brand cooking spray leaves annoying residue. can have consequences. that's why there's pam. protesters, dissidents, journalists have been simply disappeared into the maw of the national security system. huh? >> it's some military place.

don't shoot, please. ♪ you're all set to book a flight using your airline credit card miles. and surprise! >> we are in the northern-most those seats sometimes cost a ridiculous number of miles, spit of land in tehran. making it really hard to book the flight you want. up here the land of tehran, the luckily, there's a better way... with the capital one venture card. road stops and it gets really with venture, you'll earn unlimited double miles steep. on every purchase, every day. and when you're ready to travel, the place for iranians to escape just book the flight you want, on any airline, then use your miles to cover the cost. now you're getting somewhere. the heat, escape the pollution what's in your wallet? and have a kabob and just kind of unwind. as print journalists our job is

difficult, but it's also kind of easy because there is so much to write about. you know, the difficult part is convincing people on the other side of the world that what we're telling you we are seeing in front of our eyes is actually there. when you walk down the street you see a different side of things. people are proud. the culture is vibrant. people have a lot to say. >> jason rezaian is "the washington post" correspondent for iran. yeganeh his wife and a fellow journalist works for the soyou get hungry just thinking about 'em. uae-based newspaper "the and at red lobster's big festival of flavors national." jason is iranian/american. you can savor 2 of 7 new and classic creations yeganeh, his wife, a full iranian citizen. on one plate for $15.99. like delicious new maple-and-bacon grilled shrimp, this is their city, tehran. the official attitude toward fun because c'mon, what doesn't bacon go with? in general seems to be an ever-shifting -- how -- is fun or get a little kick with these new ghost pepper bbq grilled shrimp. even a good idea? because if you like it spicy, garlicky, or cheesy, >> a lot of push and pull. trust me you'll like this. a lot of give and take. but every last flavor is too good to last-so hurry in! when i first started coming here you wouldn't hear pop music in a restaurant or -- >> now it is everywhere. >> now it is everywhere. >> we have police, they arrest girls or women for having the

hijab or not being covered enough. it is not that we live with the police in our head, you know. >> one of the first things that people will say when you say, i'm going to iran. ♪ yeah, but don't they make women do this, this, this, this. >> yeah. >> actually not so much, not as much as our friends. compare and contrast, women ♪ last day in iran. aren't allowed to drive in saudi night falls, and the kids, like kids anywhere, get in their arabia. rides and head for somewhere >> that's right. or vote. they can hang out. amazing all these american >> or vote. classics here. you can drive. where do you get them? you can vote. >> yeah, of course. >> old men's, old people's of course. my sister is an accountant. yards. she has her own company. girls are allowed to do almost >> right. everything, except if you want and then fix them up?

to go and watch football. >> can't watch football? >> yeah. >> we cannot. >> women's issues are often at the spear point of change or possible change here. on one hand, prevailing >> mustang? conservative attitudes demand certain things. [ engine revving ] on the other hand, iranian women >> camaro. >> camaro. are famously assertive, opinionated. >> firebird. it's a striking difference from almost everywhere else in >> pontiac. region. so why are we so friendly with that's a perfect l.a. car right the saudis again? >> it's a good question. there. that's a really good question. >> i'm happy that you asked that is this a car club or is this just people come? >> hang out this way. it's our friends. question. >> do you like it? >> i called out for a little are you happy here? delivery. one last thing everyone's been >> look, i am at a point now telling me i have to try. after five years where i miss iranian take-out pizza. certain things about home. i miss my buddies. it comes with ketchup. >> what do you think about i miss burritos. i miss having certain beverages with my buddies and burritos and iranian pizza? >> not bad. >> not bad. certain types of establishments. >> we don't put ketchup on but i love it. pizza, though. >> i love ketchup. i love it and i hate it. you know, but it's home. it's become home. >> are you optimistic about the >> i spent my youth pretty much future? doing this, hanging out in a parking lot. >> yeah, especially if this nuclear deal finally happens.

♪ yeah, very much, actually. >> despite the hopeful nature of our conversation, six weeks after the filming of this let's assume the worst. episode, jason and yeganeh were let's assume that you cannot see mysteriously arrested and any way to reconcile what you detained by the police. think of iran with your own sadly in iran, this sort of personal beliefs. that you just generally don't thing is not an isolated approve. incident. >> yeah. >> i think those are exactly the sort of places you should go. >> totally. >> see who we're talking about and where we're talking about here. >> i think it's almost un-american not to go to those places, you know? >> i don't know that i can put it in any kind of perspective. i feel deeply conflicted, deeply confusing, exhilarating, heartbreaking, beautiful place. >> yeah, exactly. ♪ [ horn honking ] (flourish spray noise) (flourish spray noise) [ engine revving ] (flourish spray noise) (flourish spray noise) the joy of real cream in 15 calories per serving. enough said. reddi-wip. (flourish spray noise) share the joy.

>> american cars are crazy. >> american cars are crazy, and they're fun. all i can tell you is the iran i've seen on tv and read about in the papers, it's a much bigger picture. let's put it this way, it's complicated. ♪ after ten weeks, yeganeh was finally released, but as i read men,...to stay fit. yet 68% don't know ... ... physical activity increases our need for antioxidants. let's add one a day men's vitacraves. a complete gummy multivitamin with antioxidants ... ... to help meet your increased needs. one a day. these lines, jason remains a prisoner.

i thione second it's there.day. then, woosh, it's gone. i swear i saw it swallow seven people. seven. i just wish one of those people could have been mrs. johnson. ♪ [dog bark] trust me, we're dealing with a higher intelligence here. ♪ the all-new audi q7 is here. ♪

welcome to my place of dreams. my spirit house. a city of ghosts. ♪ [ horns honking ] ♪ >> what is okay to film in iran and what is not? what's okay for the friendly, to us at least, ministry of guidance might not be okay at all for the basij, essentially roving, young religious militias. despite all permits and

paperwork being in order, we are detained for several hours. this sort of harassment is a daily part of life for iranians. >> just turn it off right now. >> bye-bye. bye-bye. ♪ >> i'm so glad to be here. thank you. hello. hi. good to meet you. people have been ridiculously nice to us. aren't you guys supposed to be the axis of evil? >> you are right. we are demonized by the media outside. you show black and white. people are demonstrating, and killing and bombing and this and that and you see and this and that, but you never talk about the real people who are actually living peacefully inside the country. you know? and eventually in the future of the world, we and americans have

a very special place in this, you cannot play a game without considering iran as a friend. >> one of his passions is ancient persia, culinary history, and he is writing a book. how do you pronounce the specialty here? dizi? >> dizi, it's the name of the pot. >> earthenware. >> this is one of the dishes of humankind. it goes back to mesopotamia. 6,000 years ago. >> potato, chick peas, water, lamb cooked together. add a little fat. mash it up with potatoes and chickpeas. that's good. what do iranians want to eat today? it is a home cooking culture. i mean -- >> yes.

we didn't hatch the culture of eating out. this is a culture of sacred foods in the house. things which are unheard of. it's not in the book. >> that's really interesting. >> a lot of secrets. ♪ >> have you ever tried traditional iranian food? >> it's difficult because everybody says the great food of iran is cooked in people's homes. >> yes. >> this is a land of secret recipes passed down within families like treasured possessions. beautiful spread of food. >> she's my wife. i am a really lucky man. she is very good cook. >> like so many iranians i have met, he has been kind enough off to invite me to his home. >> this is milk and chicken soup. >> it looks really good. >> my mom said that iranian people loves guests. and they will never get tired if the guest likes their food. >> mm. a stew of fried chicken, onion,

ground walnuts, pomegranate, and tomato paste. and this fruit, some kind of fruit? >> yes, there's the dried apricot inside as well. >> delicious. so good. >> needed 24 hours time. >> these are very sophisticated, very time-consuming dishes to prepare. always from scratch and always in excess of what you could possibly need. you tend to kill your guests with kindness around here. >> that dish is from the south of iran. >> from the persian gulf? >> persian gulf. yes. >> this one is from north. >> maybe if i could try some? yes. thank you. >> of course. >> that one, we made it with beans, meat. >> it's so good. mm.

fantastic food. >> men and boy, both of them working. >> it's hard to do something like this. that's what i'm waiting. that's the crispy rice at the bottom. what is it called? tariq? >> tariq. exactly. >> merci. >> my mom and my mother-in-law, they think if they have a guest, they have to have at least two or three kind of foods. if they make just one, they think it is not very polite for a guest. now they set the example for my generation. that i have a guest i will just make one food, one appetizer, one dessert. >> you know why? do you know why? >> because it's much easier.

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times have changed. pre-1979 tehran was party central. but with iran's 1979 revolution, 2,500 years of monarchy was over. the supreme leader ayatollah khomeini's word became more or less law. today hundreds of thousands of iranians are bused to his enormous shrine from all over the country. ♪ the national holiday, khomeini died on this day in 1989, his

funeral attended by over 10 million iranians. [ chanting ] >> america and all of the world, for friendship. >> don't want to miss the bus. ♪ [ horn honks ] south of tehran, the landscape opens up. nearly 300 miles of iranian highway stretching to the city. isfahan is iran's third largest city.

half the world as the saying went back when this was the capital of persia and beyond. the city is renowned for its architecture, the grandest bridges and motives dating back to the middle ages. >> where are you from? >> usa. from america. where are you from? from, isfahan or from tehran? >> tehran. >> nice to meet you. >> nice to meet you, too. >> yes, hello. >> welcome. >> thank you. thank you so much. very beautiful. ♪

>> i'm guessing from the decor, this is a former wrestler's hangout? ♪ ♪ tucked deep in the labyrinth of the bazaar, the smell of something very, very good. this shop has been here doing the same thing for a hundred years.

and based on the line, it must be doing it right. i've had biryani in india. i had it in uzbekistan but there's no question who invented it. >> no. >> biryani. maybe you know the word. though this doesn't look like any biryani i ever had. minced lamb shoulder, onion, tumeric, cinnamon, mint, and of course, saffron, more valuable than gold by weight. this is delicious. >> very good. >> isfahan today one of the most visited areas by tourists. >> yeah, everybody know if you go to tehran, you don't visit isfahan, you are wasting your time. ♪ >> the royal mosques, the second

largest square in the world behind tiananmen in china. at dusk families come to the square to cool off, picnic, and have, yes, it looks like even a little bit of fun. ♪ ♪

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morning prayer in islam.

♪ >> across town the bridge where men gather spontaneously to sing. ♪ ♪ >> is this okay, this impromptu giving oneself over to the

creative urge to stand and sing out to no one in particular. maybe, but not okay apparently to film. gotta go. yep. gotta go. the road back to tehran. along the way, reminders of just how far back this culture goes. the ruins of ancient caravans, highway rest stops from when armies, merchants, traders traveling by camel, by foot all passed along these same routes. this right here, a stop on what was once the silk road extending all the way to china.

♪ ♪ in this part of the world, whatever your background, bread is a vital, essential, fundamental and deeply respected staple. and mornings in tehran countless bakeries like this one turn out as much as they can. oh, man. it smells good in here. >> you have to stand in line.

>> no problem. standing on line is a daily part of life for many iranians. they bake these on small stones. gives it the textures. >> that's why it's called tahdig. stone, pebble. >> in years since the '79 revolution, iranians have endured wars, food sanctions that have caused the economy to sputter. >> so i am going to make you a small tahdig. >> right. >> he is kind enough to take me for breakfast. >> it is made from bulgur wheat? >> yes. you know what is inside the wheat? it is meat. it is turkey. this is a mixture of sugar and cinnamon. >> that's good. >> you like? >> yeah, and this bread is amazing. you were how old when the war with iraq started?

>> i was exactly 7. >> iraq attacked and it was a surprise attack. iran's eight-year-long war with saddam hussein's iraq is deeply, deeply felt. hundreds of thousands of iranians, many of them children, died fighting in that conflict. were you afraid? >> very afraid. my father was in france for two years out of eight. and it was not only my brother. many y