you experience tv. good morning. i'm christi paul. >> i'm victor blackwell. welcome the viewers in the u.s. and around the world. breaking news out of the iran at any moment. >> we are heard the four americans freed in a prisoner swap is out of their way of iran. we are talking about rezaian and hekmati and abedini.

>> seven iranian citizens recently released and handed over. we know the group coming out of iran may be headed to switzerland where they could meet with secretary of state john kerry in geneva before flying to the landstuhl army base in germany. they then will head back to the u.s. >> a fifth prisoner matthew trevithnick has left iran and seven iranians have been released whose charges have been dismissed as part of the prisoner swap. all seven, we understand, just walked away from a detention center moments ago part of a coordinated release here so we are following this story from around the world this morning with a team of cnn correspondents. >> we begin with cnn international correspondent frederik pleitgen in landstuhl, germany. let's begin with the iranianians

held in america. >> we got word from one of the iranians who just got released they have been able to walk free and apparently the case three of them walked out of a detention facility in the united states and there were four others who were released from other detention centers somewhere else in america. but the fact of the matter is we were thinking this is a coordinated swap that is going on between the u.s. and iran. so it could very well be that the americans who were held in iran are now possibly on their way as well. we have no confirmation of that as yet, but that is certainly something that could be the case if, in fact, now these iranians have gone free. all seven individuals were people who were incass rated for essentially busting the sanctions against iran for acquiring satellite equipment, technology. that was distant for iran while iran was under sanctions. now those seven iranians have received clemency in return for

those four americans who were in custody of the iranians. >> let's talk about the americans who are expected to travel to where you are at landstuhl. do we have any any idea when that will happen? again, we just learned the seven iranians have been released and the expectation is the americans will be freed either simultaneously or in a few moments. >> reporter: yeah. you know what? several factors we need to take into account. one of the questions would all of them have been released simultaneously? the iranians and the americans. that would mean that possibly they would just now be released. they would still have to make their way to the airport and still have to get on a plane. it's unclear where the americans are at this point in time. one thing i can tell you is once they take off from tehran international airport, it's about a 4 1/2 hour flight to here in europe, in germany, or in swirtzerland. it's unclear if they will make

some stops in switzerland. we do know that, at some point, they are expected to land here at ramstein air base and could be a couple of hours off. they would be taken off the plane and driven a mile and a half here from ramstein air base to the landstuhl medical facility which is america's biggest army hospitals outside of the u.s., a medical center that is very well known for treating people who got treated in afghanistan and iraq. this is the place where they go. we expect them to come here in a couple of hours. the actual flight time from tehran to this part of europe is about four and a half, maybe five hours. >> frederik pleitgen for us there at landstuhl in germany, thank you so much. we want to go now to cnn chief international correspondent christiane amanpour who is joining us from london. thank you so much. we have been talking about this

release. do you have any indication, as we talk about a simultaneous release, as we believe it is worked out to be, how would that actually be worked out? are there people on the phone saying, okay, we have released our side, you release yours, so they try to do it truly as simultaneously as possible? how does it work? do you know? >> reporter: well, i think those details are going to be the fascinating ones to unpick after the fact. certainly, as we know, there have been months of separate negotiations, although connected to the nuclear deal on these prisoners. and iran has always wanted so-called a goodwill gesture regarding its prisoners and the united states, obviously, wanted its prisoners out, include our colleague the journal jason rezaian from "the washington pos post". it is entirely likely as fred was outlining and we were talking about yesterday this is a simultaneous and will be a simultaneous event. neither side wants to be seen as going first or anything in that

regard. so that is very likely. and we are waiting to see when with the americans touch down as has been said by "the washington post." the employer at one of those americans perhaps first in geneva and then in germany to get medical treatment before coming home. i spoke to the iranian foreign ministery and i asked them -- >> did we lose her? >> i think one of the questions, follow-up questions was here we reported this in the 9:00 hour yesterday after it was reported by the semi official for a news agency in iran, it's taken 21 hours before the official swap or on the release of any of these prisoners. what happened in those 21 hours that got to this point? and why did it take so long? hopefully, we will be able to get that from christiane

amanpour when we get her back on the phone. the americans just been released. jill andrewfi, the lawyer for one of the u.s. released in this prisoner swap is joining us on the phone from texas. we are hearing the iranians have been freed. tell us more about how this happened this morning and what happens next for your client. >> well, we were contacted on wednesday and told that we would be receiving a pardon on friday. on friday, we were told that there had been a delay because the deal had not been finally s consummated there yet but told to be there at 5:30 on sad morning because they expected the americans in iran would have been released and outside of iranian air space. we stayed at the jail yesterday. our clients were prepared to

leave. mr. mechanic had been out of his prison garb and normal business attire and had been basically released from prison from his cell but he was not allowed to leave the facility. president obama had already signed his pardon, but he could not be released because the americans had not left iranian air space. so at 8:00 on saturday night we were still waiting in the jail for this to happen. unfortunately, tehran was nine hours ahead of us and we were told that the iranians would not allow the airplane with the americans to be flown outside of tehran until they received their that they expected in the nuclear deal arrangement that they have with the united states, so they had told the united states that we are going to wait for the funds. the funds were received but they

decided not to fly out at night. they said we will fly out in the morning so we were asked to come back to the jail this morning at 1:30 because that gave enough time for the americans to be flown out of iran and outside of the air space, and at about -- let me see -- at about 4:00 this morning, maybe 4:15, the word came in with the pardons and said you're free to leave, the americans had been finally released. they are going to be home. >> mr. androphy, up to your description of the chronology here, what we were led to believe these were two parallel negotiations. the iran nuclear deal completely separate from the negotiations for this swap, some for prisoners and others for hostages, but from what you're saying is that the iranians would not release the americans until the funds were released as part of that nuclear deal. is that what you're saying?

>> that's what we were told, yes. all i know is what the government tells me. i'm listening to the department of justice, the state department, and i'm also talking to the head of legal affairs and protocol for the iran interest section in the united states, or the iranian consulate so i'm trying to get my information from multiple sources. >> when you say the government, you're saying the american government or the iranian government told you that? >> both. ? okay. >> now that your client has been freed, is it just your three clients that have been freed or all seven that you know of? >> no, all seven were freed as part of a joint hostage deal. there is four other gentlemen in the united states that have been freed. >> where do they plan to leave? are they staying in the united states?

>> as far as i know, they are all staying in the u.s. for a while. one of the defendants may move back to tehran. my client is going to stay here. although he has a business in tehran that he needs to be handled, at least at this juncture. he is staying in the united states. he is a u.s. citizen and a resident. >> the american citizens will be going to the landstuhl hospital and then to the u.s. will your client go to any medical facility or will they go straight home to their families? what is next for them in the short term? >> no they were in a medical facility getting medical care while they were at the facility. they are at home now. they left the facility this morning probably at a quarter of 5:00, left at quarter of 5:00 at a houston facility and at home

now. they are are not going to any medical facility. a detention center they were in had a medical facility. >> joel, we so appreciate you being with us. thank you for going through what texas.ed this morning there in we want to get back to cnn chief international correspondent christiane amanpour. i'm sorry we lost you there for a couple of minutes. one of the things we have been talking about this morning is the amount of time. we were sitting here yesterday when they announced these prisoners were going to be released and now we are 21 hours later and it seems it is just happening. what would you suspect or do you have any indication as to what the delay would be? >> well, i think, christi, this is perhaps natural and in this complicated and difficult world and in this very sensitive issue. we will probably know the details when all sides are

released and people start talking publicly. what we know from the american and iranian officials, i personally spoke with the iranian officials. they say the americans have been released. the question now is logistical. when are they getting on that plane and when are they going to land? we will find that out sooner or later. the big picture, the iranian nuclear deal and everybody agrees this was something simultaneously planned as a goodwill gesture, as sort of a garnish, if you like, on the very tough diplomatic wrangling and negotiations over more than a year that led last summer to the nuclear deal between iran, the united states, and the major world powers. so what happened in europe yesterday in vienna, the headquarters of the u.n. nuclear watchdog, iran was declared in

compliance of its requirements under this deal, so far, and, therefore, certain sanctions, which involved them being able to sell their oil, plus being reconnected to the international banking system, those will now go into effect. at the same time, the head of the iaea will be -- is, in fact, traveling to tehran and will speak to iran about its continuing obligations. the secretary of state john kerry has talked about that publicly, hailing this day as a good step for safety and security and one that keeps the world a safer place now that there is a nuclear deal with iran that requires continued tough, you know, monitoring. that's what these prisoner swaps are related to and i think one of the issues is that many people are saying that the united states has actually done quite a big thing by releasing people who actually convicted of crimes and violations against

the sanctions regime, whereas as we know, for instance, the journalist jason rezaian had no legitimate charges against him at all and was so-called tried in secret and sentenced to an undetermined time. there is a bit of a disparity between who was held in iran and who was held in the united states. >> i just want to get your take on something that one of the attorneys for three of the iranians who have been released here in america had to say to us. joel androphy said he believed it took a while is the prisoners had to be released simultaneously but he was told until iran received their funds from this deal with the iaea, that they were not going to release the prisoners and that is what took so long. i think there was an understanding or a belief that these were two separate deals,

so to speak. what does it tell you that he is being told, not just by the u.s. government, by the iran government as well, that they were waiting until they received their funds before they would release the americans? >> reporter: well, again, i'm not privy to that kind of information and i don't know the specifics, but is there no doubt that these were not two separate deals, no matter how people tried to discuss it. yes, there were probably two separate parties dealing with the two separate tracks, so to speak, but it's all part of one deal to get implementation day and some kind of goodwill gesture to accentuate that day. we should stop talking about the iranians. they are all iranian jewel citizens and that is what they are. right now, we're seeing the results of a long, difficult, and patient and sympathetic and

diplomatic track that led first to the nuclear deal and concurrently and consequently to the release of these prisoners. we are waiting to see the faces of those who are freed from the iranian jail and be able to speak much more definitively once we see that. all of those who know, for instance, the u.s. officials, the iranian foreign ministry and our colleague jason rezaian they said any time now that their people will be back on terror firmer. >> we so appreciate all of the insight you bring to us. thank you very much. >> thanks, christ i. >> the iranian citizens have been refleased. we are still waiting for confirmation from the u.s. or iranian government that this swap has happened. we are also awaiting for

confirmation that the americans held in iran have been freed. now more than 21 hours after the announcement of this swap, we will continue to follow the breaking news and we have correspondents covering this around the world. keep is right here. we will be right back. valet parking. evening, sir. hello! here's the keys. and, uh, go easy on my ride, mate. hm, wouldn't mind some of that beef wellington... to see how much you could save on car insurance, go to geico.com. ah! (car alarm sounds) it's ok! melda. i'm john. hello, nice to meet you. we invited you here today to get your honest opinion about this new car. to keep things unbiased, we removed all the badging and logos. so, what do you think it is? i would say lexus. maybe acura. feels like a bmw. let's look at the interior. reminds me of the inside of my friend's lexus. so, this car supports apple carplay™

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obama at some point on this deal. secretary of state john kerry welcomed the release of the five americans held in iran. listen to what he had to say in vienna. >> vae happy to say that, as we speak, we have received confirmation that five americans who had been unjustly detained in iran have been released from custody and they should be on their way home to their families before long, shortly. >> now the prisoner exchange was the result of 14 months of secret diplomacy and talks between washington and tehran. oo the background of the nuclear talks another step in the thawing of the relations between the u.s. and iran. >> nic robertson is live in vienna where the deal was reached between iran and u.s. and several other world powers. i think one element we heard leading up to the release with the swap was that these were separate, but parallel,

negotiations. the nuclear deal and for the swap. but what we heard from the attorney for at least one of those american iranian citizens who was held in the u.s. is that the iranians would not release the americans until the money, the tens of billions of dollars were released to them. so at least some connection there. >> reporter: that is certainly how it's beginning to emerge. certainly, we have heard the narrative these have been two separate and parallel conversations and it certainly appears that both secretary kerry and the iranian foreign minister have emphasized the repeat days the importance of diplomat diplomacy. it's clear the two men have come to a stronger understanding of each other's positions or their own country's positions. what we understand, over the last few days, particularly with the release of the american

sailors in the gulf after they have been captured by the iranian revolutionary guard released in a very short space of time that that was something that secretary kerry got involved in very quickly. we saw how the diplomacy there worked. when it comes to this prisoner exchange that we are now discussing, you know, there were many, many meetings over many hours in this hotel behind me here in vienna and other locations in europe where secretary contrary and his counterpart, the iran yaian forn minister would sit down and meet. occasionally, cameras were not allowed in at all. occasionally, cameras were allowed in to spray the first few minutes of those meetings. we got briefings how the nuclear negotiations were going at certain stages. after a couple of weeks, sometimes you would get sort of a detailed analysis of what had been accomplished and expected to be accomplished but never was it discussed with us anything about the prisoner exchange. what was discussed privately in

those meetings between secretary kerry and the iranian foreign minister now beginning to emerge that quite potentially they could finish their sanctions on the iranian negotiations and separate topic pick up on the track of this prisoner exchange. now how in the minds of both sides here these two parallel tracks were interwoven and how they were important to both the united states and iran, we know that secretary kerry took a huge amount of political heat when he signed this deal last summer without the release of the american prisoners. we know there was a lot at stake politically here. this was a business that would muddy and cloud the waters between the relationship between the united states and iran. so important politically to have that achieved. how this was important to iran, was this a bargaining chip for

them? put these prisoners on a table for an exchange of prisoners unheld unjustly like the iranian americans held in the united states, convicted in courts? that these would be the ultimate bargaining chips and was this in iran's mind all the way through? we don't know that. >> one american who is not coming home with the others who are we expect en route to germany is robert levinson. do we know if there is work being done to return for the cia contractor who disappeared more than eight years ago now? >> reporter: 2007 on the eyelid of kish, a former fbi official working for a contractor for the cia, we understand. the iranian government has never admitted that they hold him. he is now the longest held american prisoner overseas in

recent times. a video about four years after his capture, his disappearance was released asking for his release. the iranian government, as far as we know, has said that they will look into this issue, that they haven't said that they have custody of him and they haven't said, as far as we know, of course, we now know a lot happens behind the scenes and not surprisingly without our knowledge, we don't know what is happening behind the scenes, but, at the moment, in the context of this prisoner exchange, his name is not coming forward. obviously, a huge disappointment for his family. >> they have been very critical over the years of the u.s. government saying not enough is being done. some intermead yaeediaries are being used is their claim. nic, thank you very much. let's bring in chris frates. any word on when we might hear

from president obama on this? >> that is the 64,000 dollar question since the news broke yesterday that the americans were being freed. as nic pointed out a complex situation with lots of moving parts. right now, we are waiting on official confirmation that the americans have, indeed, left iran. they are expected to first go to germany. according to a congressman who is headed there to meet "the washington post" journalist jason rezaian and senior administration officials tell us the americans will get any medical attention they need. rezaian spent more than 500 days in iran's notorious prisons and is that is longer than the iran hostage crisis. secretary of state john kerry hailed the release of the five americans. >> i am very happy to say that, as we speak, we have received confirmation that five americans who had been unjustly detained in iran, have been released from custody. >> reporter: in exchange for the

americans' release the obama administration agreed to grant clemency for seven iranians charged with u.s. sanctions. the announcement came the same day the iran nuclear deal went into effect in international sanctions against iran were lifted. freed in the deal "the washington post" jason rezaian who was arrested on charges of spying and spent more than 500 days in iran's most notorious pretty much and after a closed door prison he was convicted of espionage and something the paper strongly denies. among the others released are these two. family members said they were overjoyed. >> a great, joyful day. my kids cannot stop just running around and asking me every other second when they will get to hug dad daddy. >> reporter: republicans on the campaign trail criticize the obama administration. >> now i have to see what the deal is for the four people.

because somebody said they are getting seven back. 150 billion plus seven and we get four? doesn't sound too good. >> reporter: another warning from the donna brazile iran can't be trusted. >> they try to gain recessions. >> reporter: one coming not home is robert levinson last seen on an iranian island. u.s. officials have pledged to look for levinson. we are getting word from one of the iranians in the u.s. that their release has not yet happened. white house officials say that we won't get more information on the iranians being swapped until the americans are safely out of iran. >> chris, thank you so much. to give you an update here real quickly, folks. we know that those seven iranians have been released. some of them actually are already on their way home. that is per one of the attorneys for three of those people who

have been held here in america. again, those seven have, indeed, been released. we are just waiting for confirmation to find out whether the five americans who have been held in iran are, indeed, on their way home as well. next hour, by the way, we are going to hear reaction about the release from the democratic presidential candidates and then it is a can't miss episode of "state of the union" at 9:00 eastern. jake tapper will be interviewing hillary clinton and bernie sanders and donald trump. at 11:00 p.m., the democratic national debate is kicked off by wolf blitzer. breaking news. four americans may object their way home from iran and the news we are waiting to hear it is a done deal and they are in a plane on their way home. we do not yet know that but we have reporters around the world who are covering the story to find out. as we heard a bit of it, the

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this is cnn breaking news. >> let's get you the latest on the top story. the news breaking right now. historic swap between the united states and iran. right now, we are waiting for confirmation that the four freed americans have departed iran. >> we have not gotten that confirmation yet but these four are expected to leave tehran soon, if they have not already. again, just waiting for confirmation of this. their first stop expected to be geneva where they could be meeting with secretary of state john kerry who negotiated their release. >> the four would then travel to an army base in germany to be checked out medically. they will receive treatment there at the largest hospital outside of the u.s. -- the largest u.s. hospital, i should say, before heading back to american soil. >> we are following the release of seven iranians pardoned in

that swap deal. they were released from prison before our broadcast began. they were actually released from prison and allowed to be released fully. they walked out of that detention center as part of a coordinated release there. we to bring in resa. as we hear the iranians have been freed what is your reaction to the fact we have not yet heard about the americans and whether they are, indeed o a plane and leaving iran at this hour? >> well, i think what we have heard so far, both from the american side and the iranian side, there have been some logistical or procedural issues that need to be sorted out before they can go from all likely hood is the swiss embassy inside iran.

one, there might be some issues on the iranian side in terms of processing former prisoners who are getting ready to leave the country, or potentially, because the swiss are america's protecting power inside of iran because, remember, there is no american diplomatic president inside of iran, there might be some things the swiss need to work out on their end but we are not sure and we should be finding out sooner, rather than later. >> i want to get your reaction what we heard from joel andr androphy. he said his clients would not be released until iran had received the funds that were due them, the $100 billion from this iaea deal with the eu and the united states. what do you make of the fact that there does seem to be, obviously, this connection? this is not all -- this is not two separate deals, as it had

been believed. >> i can't say i'm surprised. but i wouldn't say that they are the same deal. i would add a little bit of nuance and say the nuclear deal created a channel of direct u.s. dialogue that frankly hadn't existed in over 37 years. and what that new channel of dialogue allowed is for subsequent issues or sources of tension and conflict to be discussed. now, if iranian hardliners inside of tehran want to make sure they get their money before they let american prisoners go and so on, so forth, then none of us should be surprised because that is the kind of thing that extremist politicians have a notion to do. i don't think the united states and iran went into the negotiations with a intent of resolving a variety of issues. i think they did a great job of keeping their eye on the prize and the nuclear issue got addressed so there would be information from other dialogue

that would grow. >> you believe this is a start of diplomatic relations between the two countries. i want to ask you the $100 billion in assets they were waiting for, how will that money modify day-to-day living in iran? any idea? >> i think two things stand out to me. if iran is bringing in, over an extended period of time, 100 billion of its own money frozen overseas, it provides the iranian government with funds necessary to have a functioning economy in ways that don't only benefit the upper echelon of political officials that are closely connected to the regime and allows the private sector, it allows average workers in the bizarre to factories and students and young people, such a high level of unemployment in iran to start to benefit from economic strength and stability. i think that, above all else, stands out as the biggest benefit to the iranians. >> you do believe that is going

to happen. so grateful for your prospective today. thank you for taking the time to be with us. victo victor? >> we are just learning the iran's foreign minister is telling cnn the plane carrying those now former hostages is about to take off. so we expect they will be en route to germany to be treated and checked out medically after at least in the case of jason rezaian who spent 18 months in custody there in iran. the three others will be on that plane with him. again, iran's foreign minister zarif telling cnn the plane is about to take off and we are waiting for confirmation from u.s. officials as soon as that plane leaves iranian air space and it's en route to what we expect will be germany for that medical treatment and checkup. we are expecting there will be a 7:00 a.m. press conference in which we are hearing from the

iranian president rouhani. we expect his thoughts on this change. not only the exchange of the prisoners and hostages, but also this nuclear deal. we are expecting to hear, of course, from the president at any moment but we were told that those comments were imminent starting in the a.m. hours yesterday, but now that the american iranians who have been, as we were told by the attorney for at least one of them, released from u.s. prisoners we are told en route to their homes and zarif is telling the u.s., telling cnn that the americans, their plane is about to take off. we expect we will hear from the president, hopefully, sometime this morning. we will bring that to you as soon as it happens. now this, of course, is impacting the race for 2016. who will be the next president? republican presidential candidates are celebrating the release of americans from iran, but they are not too happy. of course, the u.s. gave up seven iranian prisoners as part

of this swap. here's a sample of how a few of the candidates are reacting on the campaign trail. >> well, we celebrate their return. this deal serves as a piece of propaganda for both iran and the obama administration! >> you know why they were captured and held hostage in the first place? because they know if you take an american hostage, barack obama will cut a deal with you! and it's created an enormous incentive for people and countries and movements around the world to do this against us! >> we give them 150 billion dollars, we give them essentially 22 people, 21, 22 people, but these are people that really did have problems, and we are getting back four people that didn't do anything wrong. that's the way we negotiate. that's the way we negotiate. it's so sad. it's so sad. and this has been going on forever. i've been hitting them hard and i think i might have had something to do with it.

who is using it? it's a part of my staple thing. i go crazy when i hear about this. >> let's start with republican strategist kaley mcannie. let's start with the candidates who criticized obama for reaching the nuclear deal that a hundred billion or more released to iran without the release of those u.s. hostages. now we know the hostages are likely on their way home before the money was released, no mention of that from any of the candidates? >> look. i think the candidates are frustrated, as donald trump has said and several other kaeshts have said. the prisoners should have been released all the time. we are the united states and we set the terms of a deal. in this it's pretty evident the u.s. is not setting the terms of the deal. the united states is in some ways following the lead of iran. iran says you have to wait for the prisoners to be released and u.s. waits. people are frustrated the u.s.

isn't taking the lead bargaining position in this deal. >> how do we know that did not happen? as the money is released and they reached implementation day the announcement that these four hostages would be released. >> you know, you're right to say the deal is unclear. we don't know the terms exactly of this prisoner swap just yet so certainly we could find out more. i think when you look at the terms of the deal there are some things that are frustrating like iran setting the terms essentially or is able to rebel or not consent to certain searches of its nuclear facilities. that shouldn't be in a deal. it should be the united states setting the terms, the united states saying you must consent to these and u.s. not having any bargaining power when the iaea search the iran nuclear facilities. not just this deal but other terms we know. as you said we don't know the terms of the prisoner swap just yet so we could be surprised. who knows. i don't think so. given the other terms of the agreement. >> there will be surprises as we have seen the last 24 hours as we learn more exactly how we

reached this point and move forward. let's get to trump taking credit that his pressure on the obama administration is, in part, what led to the release or this swap. what is your take? >> i don't see that as an unlikely possibility. trump is a part of his stump speech on nearly every campaign stop, why aren't the prisoners released? and who knows. this could have been a result of trump making that claim and criticizing the obama administration. >> kayleigh, you believe that trump going after the president for, i know his campaign going on for, what, six months now? trump going after the president led to this very complex multifaceted deal to exchange these specific people? >> i don't think it's unlikely. every time he brings up something, trump has hammered the illegal immigration and then we see the president after the new year raiding homes to remove

some illegal immigrants. i don't think it's unlikely that trump is making a big deal of issues and it's resonating with many, many americans. the president is reacting in reaction to trump. i don't think it's unlikely so it could not be the reason but i don't think it's unlikely and i don't think it's out of bounds for trump to say he is the reason. >> there is no proof that it is? >> there is no proof. it's his hunch. he thinks he has brought some of these issues and the administration has reacted and it could be. i think it's a wise point for him to bring up on the campaign trail. he brings up issues and sometimes we see reaction from the administration. >> i'm sure we will hear more from trump claiming responsibility and credit as we have. i don't know if after, therefore, because of is the argument that holds for this. but we will see. kayleigh, thank you very much. >> thanks, victor. >> watch this morning's can't miss episode of "state of the union" when jake tapper will be interviewing donald trump, hillary clinton, and bernie sanders. at 9:00 a.m. eastern. at 11:00 p.m., cnn's wolf blitzer anchored a special live coverage after tonight's democratic national debate. we are following other

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we are waiting for the american prisoners to leave iranian air space. our cnn producer was told by iran's foreign minister zarif that the plane was about to take off. we are waiting for confirmation that it has, indeed, taken off and we will bring that for you instan as soon as we get it. a confirmed tornado in florida, some other breaking news. this is in sarasota. can you imagine what these people are dealing with today? it looks like a home torn to shreds. multiple rescues have taken place or are currently ongoing. but overnight, the west coast of florida, specifically the tampa bay area, slammed by a line of

severe storms here and that weather is sweeping through central florida now. let's talk to jason bartalone the spokesman. any injuries you can talk to us about or help us understand what is happening there this hour? >> hi. we have no significant reports of injuries at this time which is pretty remarkable given some of the damage that we are seeing to at least a few residences here in the sarasota area. >> we are seeing some of the pictures and images that are coming into us now on our screen. help us understand what it's like there and how expansive some of this damage is. are there pockets of it? is it a long swath? >> there are two main areas of damage that our fire and rescue teams are responding to right now and they are both located near the siesta see area tharea

is a barrier island and we had significant damage to one building on the key. a mid-rise resident that are structural damage from wind and water. we had at least one residence here that had a roof collapse off the island off the key where two individuals were inside that had to be rescued by our fire department. >> what about power interruption and how long do you think it's going to take for you all to try to discern exactly what -- how many people have -- nobody you said had been taken to the hospital, but all people accounted for? >> well, the latest indication we had on power outages was that about 17,000 individuals were without power, that was with florida power and light. we are in communication with them. no indication on when that power might be restored. but we are still assessing the damage throughout the county.

again, we have no reports of major injuries at this time which is amazing. and we hope it stays that way. but our teams are still out there trying to assess just how much damage was suffered overnight with these storms. >> again, jason bartalone is from sarasota county but i understand we have breaking news from another county, manatee county affected here. >> just north of sarasota county. two reports confirmed deaths there in manatee county from the line of storms that moved through overnight and produced a tornado. we know, again, two confirmed deaths. they are just north of where jason bartalone is in sarasota county. the deaths are in manatee county and we are working to get more details in which city. we know the city seat there is bradenton and we are trying to get information what caused it. if it was a tornado or a strong

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we are following a

developing story this hour. 28 people are dead, including an american, in a series of attacks in burkina faso. >> al qaeda-lingered group has claimed responsibility for those attacks. they stormed a hotel and they started shooting inside the hotel before rescuers stormed in. search widens for 12 missing marines since two helicopters apparently collided during a training mission on thursday. the coast guard says the search will stretch farther on the north shore along the island of oahu and eight miles out to sea now. flint, michigan, city residents are protesting what they say is a slow state response to lead in their drinking water. president obama has declared a state of emergency freeing up $5 million in federal aid and that money can be used to buy bottled water and filters for those families. the city's water has been contaminated with lead ever

since the city switched to a cheaper water source nearly two years ago. lots going on this morning starting with the iran/u.s. prisoner swap. iranian foreign minister is expected to speak in a few minutes. we will start the next hour right now. for those of you just joining us, we are grateful to have you here. i'm christi paul. >> i'm victor blackwell. we begin this hour with the breaking news out of iran. >> according to's iran foreign minister the four americans set free in this historic prisoner swap jason rezaian and hekmati and abedini and roodsari are about to take off in a plane to landstuhl, germany, they will

receive medical attention at an army base there. we are following release of seven iranians whose charges were dismissed as part of the prisoner swap. we will have an interview with one of their attorneys in few moments. we are following this story around the world this morning with a team of cnn correspondents. >> we want to go first to christiane amanpour who has been following this with us in london. thank you for being with us, christiane. i want to speak with you news broke last hour and we heard from the lawyer of the prisoners freed here in the u.s. he spoke to us and this is what he told us about what he knew regarding the negotiations and getting these americans out of iran. >> well, we were contacted on

wednesday and told that we would be receiving a pardon on friday. on friday, we were told that there had been a delay because the deal had not been finally were told to be there at 5:30 on sad morning because they expected the americans in iran would have been released and outside of iranian air space. we stayed at the jail yesterday. our clients were prepared to leave. mr. mechanich had been out of his prison garb and normal business attire and had been basically released from prison from his cell but he was not allowed to leave the facility. president obama had already signed his pardon, but he could not be released because the americans had not left iranian air space. so at 8:00 on saturday night, we were still waiting in the jail for this to happen.

but, unfortunately, tehran was nine hours ahead of us, and we were told that the iranians would not allow the airplane with the americans to be flown outside of tehran until they received their funds that they expected in the nuclear deal arrangement that they have with the united states, so they had told the united states that we are going to wait for the funds. the funds were received, but they decided not to fly out at night. they said we will fly out in the morning. so we were asked to come back to the jail this morning at 1:30 because that gave enough time for the americans to be flown air spice. >> christiane, i want to get your reaction to his claim that he was told by the iranian and u.s. government that the u.s. hostages, essentially, would not be flown out of iran until iran

received the funds that were given to them or that were released to them by this iaea agreement. >> reporter: well, look. it is a fascinating insight what the lawyer has told cnn about the nuts and bolts of the timing of this arrangement. from my experience and from my insight, having interviewed iranian officials on precisely this issue and others in the past, they are absolutely sticklers for strict symmetry when these things happen. the idea of the timing for both releases to be coincidental is what iran has demanded in the past, but most especially regarding this nuclear deal, because if that timing issue of the funds going into the bank account -- again, i do not know the details nor do i know the mechanics of how the money goes into a bank account -- but what i can tell you and we know publicly is that iran was,

yesterday, and even before yesterday, was declared publicly by the iaea in full compliance with its part of the nuclear deal, so far. so that has already happened. in other words, iran saw itself as being in full compliance of its part under this bargain, so it was waiting for the united states to be in full compliance with its end and that is to transfer the funds. so it makes total sense, if that is what the lawyer said about the timing, it totally makes sense, given my knowledge and general people's knowledge of the way iran works in these situations. remember, iran and the united states still do not have diplomatic relations. they have now a nuclear deal, which has enhanced the possibility of diplomacy and what we are seeing as a result of this diplomacy, this concurrent plan to have a prisoner swap and, last week, we saw as a result of direct diplomacy, the rapid resolution

of the u.s. sailors who were taken by the iranian military in the persian gulf having wandered into iranian territorial waters. yes, diplomacy is happening and yes, the iranians are total sticklers for 100% symmetry and because of the fact that is what they want, but it's also because they have to answer to their hardliners as well. if iran was seen to have sent out the american prisoners before getting their money or whatever, then there would be a lot of internal pressure on the president and the foreign minister who negotiated this deal. that is my information from the iranian side and my experience of the iranian way of negotiating in the past. >> we appreciate that. >> christiane, hold on a second. we are some reporting from cnn's chief national security correspondent jim sciutto who says that the families have been told by the u.s. department of state that the plane carrying

those four hostages has now departed from iran. wheels up from iran, those americans who were held in iran are now en route, we expect, to germany. that coming from cnn chief national security jim sciutto. we have also been given an update that the president rouhani will speak in the next 30 minutes or so. it's now just after 3:30 p.m. in tehran, so expect that sometime this hour that we will hear from the president. let me ask you about the president and how he will have to frame this prisoner swap. we saw and heard from him. i got his twitter account up here in which he says, #implementation day, i thank god for this blessing and bow to the greatness of the patient nation of iran. congrats on this glorious victory, speaking about the nuclear deal and the beginning of this phase of the deal. but will he have to walk a line a in how he characterizes this

prisoner swap with the united states? >> reporter: i'm not sure he'll make a big deal about that. i've been watching iranian news and other such things. they are much more entrufsted ad for them what they term is a triumph is dealing this deal with the united states and the other world powers. this is at the heart and soul of president rouhani's presidency and he is likely to talk about this in a way that portrays it as a massive victory for not just iran, but also for his style of diplomacy. and to be very fair, he and the foreign minister zarif powered through a lot of positioppositi home from the hard-line wing of the iranian establishment, a lot of opposition to get this done, and they did it because they know that they have to, you know, better their levels of

trust and koorpcooperation with international community, particularly on the nuclear issue, in order to have a fighting chance of having a sustainable economy. they know, certainly president rouhani, he was elected because of his moderate views, compared to the previous president. you mean big bad ugly ahmadinejad who had a confrontational role with the u.s. and saw his nuclear program bounce by leaps and bounds and didn't care about the effect of international sanctions on iran and didn't care that the people didn't want this. rouhani came into power saying i'm going to fix this because this is what my people want and we need not to be com priced and we need to have our economy liberated and we need to meet the legitimate demand of our people. remember, most of the iranian people are young people who want no part of this extremist and these hard-line politics that

iran has had. so they are able now to stay out patient diplomacy has brought us this dividend and it has a big side benefit for the united states and europe as well because if listen to secretary kerry and the british foreign minister hammond in the last 24 hours or so, they have repeated the fact that the world is a safer place today because for a long period of time, iran will have no way to implement any kind of military nuclear ability, should they feel they want to do that, because they will be under strict supervision and to that end, the head of the iaea is en route, is landing in iran to talk about the iranians about the next phase of compliance and monitoring of their nuclear program. so this is the big picture that you're likely to hear from the iranian president today. >> christiane amanpour, we appreciate it so much. thank you. i want to go right now to jim sciutto, i believe, is on the

phone with us. jim is the one who was just calling in to let us know that it is wheels up from iran. jim, do we understand those, just making sure we clarify here, the prisoners who have been held in iran are now on a plane and out of iran air space? >> reporter: that's right, christi and victor. i just spoke with the former u.s. marine who is one of the four americans being released and they have been informed by the state department that the plane is wheels up from iran. the moment the families have been waiting for, in some cases, for years, has come now. i'll tell you having been in touch with the families for these last tense 24, 36 hours and, of course going back months before that, but particularly in these last couple of days, they have been waiting for this moment. and it's one of those situation they are going to believe it only when they see it and only when they get that word that plane is up. their hopes, of course, raised yesterday with the announcement

by the state department of this deal, but they weren't going to celebrate until they got official word that their loved ones were leaving iran finally. they now have that official word. it's a moment they have been waiting for. like i said, in some cases for year, difficult years. they have that good news now. >> jim, do we have any better clarification now as to where they will be going first and when? how many hours it will be before they will be reunited with their families? >> my understanding is that they are going to switzerland first to geneva. the plane that they are flying out on is a swiss government plane. the swiss represent the u.s. in iran because, of course we don't have diplomat i'm relations with them and the swiss ambassador has been a key contact in this case from the beginning. so the swiss plane taking them out. my understanding they go to switzerland first and, from there, at some point in the next couple of days, they are going

on to landstuhl in germany where there is a u.s. military base enthey will have medical tests. this is natural after so much time in detention, check their health and check their state of mind. that is where, i'm told, they will be reunited with their families. it's going to be a special in a moment coming up in the next few days for these families and for these americans and then, of course, i know we are going to be watching closely. our thoughts go out to them now as they take in this moment they have been waiting for so long. >> jim, stay with us. we just got this statement from frederick ryan jr., publisher of the "the washington post" as it relates to the release of jason rezaian that he has been held 545 days. it goes on for a few paragraphs. i want to read two sentences here in which ryan writes, we are relieved that this 545-day nightmare for jason and his

family is finally over. we are pleased to see that iran released four other americans and our hope is that those who remain held will soon follow. they finish this with now a free man, jason will be reunited with his family, including his brother ali, his most effectivive and tireless advocate and we look forward to the joyous occasion of wrming him back to "the washington post" newsroom. this has been a day that not just the folks at "the washington post" but our colleagues across the industry have worked for. a letter sent to john kerry a few days ago asking the government as they reached implementation day to work harder to free jason rezaian and the others and now we know this plane has left iranian air space and we have heard from the attorney from one of the dual citizens who was here in the united states held in federal prisons that the iranians who were held in u.s. custody are now either at home with their families or en route, expecting, of course, to hear from president rouhani sometime

within the next few minutes, sometime this hour. >> so, jim, is there -- as we look ahead as to what will happen, we can anticipate the families will be flown then to germany to reunite? >> reporter: that's right. i already know that some family members have already made their way there in expectation of this. these are plans the families are making now. one point i would say jason rezaian has been there more than a year. hekmati, almost to the day four years ago, january 9th, 2012, he was sentenced to death by iran for alleged spying. that sentence was later commuted. but these have been extremely tense moments for the families, going back years. saeed abedini has been there a number years as well, the american pastor who was in prison. during that time, the families

did not honestly know certainly when it will end but also how it would end. this is an unpredictable country. it's a country where they elected a reformist, more open-minded president in rouhani a little more than two years ago, but it has enormous power centers run by far more hardline groups and that includes the judiciary which holds the prisoners and, oftentimes, you hear the judiciary does not listen to the president and there are elements in that country who would like to keep these americans. and some who would have liked to deliver harsher punishments. so, today, just a reminder that this not only was long and difficult time for the families and certainly the prisoners themselves, but also extremely unpredictable. it was not, by any means, certain it was going to end this way. so today is a remarkable event. let's keep in mind, too, they

were held all of them at least for a time and being imprisoned in tehran which is where iran, no years has held dissidents where there is accounts of torture and psychological and physical. they are coming out of a really tough period in their lives and that is one reason why, you know, they are going to be going through germany and going to that military base on the way out and the recovery time for something like this is long. they have got a battle ahead of them. but not to take anything away from the happy day but to understand that this is a true relief for the prisoners and for the families. >> jim, i just want to share a live picture here with our viewers. this is the room in which iranian president rouhani will speak in just a few moments. we were told that this was going to happen at the top of this hour, about 15 minutes ago. but now we are told it will happen sometime before the end of the hour. of course, we will bring you those remarks as soon as he

walks up to the podium. we see the room now filling up. jim, i want to take you back to the fall of 2014 when there was that historic conversation between president obama and president rouhani and the great distance that the relationship between these two countries and these two presidents and the secretary of state and the foreign minister had reached this day in which an implementation day is followed by the release of these four u.s. hostages, a fifth actually released yesterday. and now these iranian americans also being released from u.s. prisons. a great distance and a relatively short period of time, considering the long scope of the troubles between the u.s. and iran. >> reporter: no question. this is 37 years of conflicts between the u.s. and iran going back to 1979 when you had the other hostages incident and taking over, 444 days.

it was a phone call, as you referenced. it is first high level contact between the two countries in decades. we would learn later that private secret negotiations had begun between the u.s. and iran at a lower level earlier in 2013 authorized by the president, but as you say, during that two and a half years with less than two and a half years, it's remarkable progress. as you and i know, there are critics here who think that the nuclear deal gave too much to iran and those two critics continue to criticize this prisoner swap. they say the u.s. should not have released the iranian prisoners. have you that. but from a historical perspective in that time frame to have a nuclear negotiation between iran and the u.s. that

puts significant caps on iran's nuclear program, to have diplomatic contacts between the two countries, which are literally daily at a very high level. zarif and john kerry talk all the time. from those contacts, think of the sailors, the american sailors that were -- this is just a few days ago, right? we had that incident just a few days ago that could not have been resolved without those diplomatic contacts and now you have this. on the same day, saturday, the nuclear deal implemented and this deal announced. now the families are in the air on their way here. you're right, victor. it's a remarkable string of developments and diplomatic terms in a short span of time. >> certainly we cannot even imagine what it's like, not just for them, but can you imagine as they sit on that plane, probably thinking i never thought this day would come, especially for hekmati as jim reminded us was

in prison four years and sentenced to death at one time. not for them but their families as we know, again, if you're just joining us, the prisoners, the four prisoners that have been held in iran are on a plane and out of iranian air space, headed towards switzerland, first. in a couple of days, will go on to germany for medical tests and be reunited with their families. we will take a quick break. woman: it's been a journey to get where i am. and i didn't get here alone. there were people who listened along the way. people who gave me options. kept me on track. and through it all, my retirement never got left behind. so today, i'm prepared for anything we may want tomorrow to be.

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live pictures here out of tehran. this is the room in which we are expecting to hear from iranian president rouhani in just a few moments. he will, of course, speak about the implementation day of this nuclear deal. quite possible, he'll speak about the big news happening today, this exchange of prisoners and hostages. we have been told by the attorney for one of the dual u.s. and iranian dual citizens, seven held in u.s. federal prisons that those seven have been released and are at home now with their families. we have learned from cnn's chief national correspondent jim sciutto that the families of the

four hostages who were held in iran are now on a plane and en route to switzerland. they have been released, have cleared iranian air space. the expectation is that they will go to switzerland and, days later, head to germany for medical treatment. >> we want to go to cnn's senior international correspondent frederik pleitgen who is live for us at ramstein air base in germany, as we continue to look at these live pictures and await hearing from president rouhani, of course. fred, i wanted to ask you, do you have any better clarity as to how long it will be before those americans who are now in the air outside of iran air space, how long it will be before they get to germany and have any of their family members, have they arrived yet there? >> reporter: we are not sure whether any of the family members have arrived yet. certainly, it is very much a possibility that some of them would already be en route here. we are actually at the ramstein

air base and is close to frankfurt airport is the main place you go into if you travel from the u.s. to germany. as far as the actual low jigist of brick the former hostages here to the ramstein air base is people are operating under the assumption that the first flight into geneva from iran. usually the flight time from tehran to geneva would be around four and a half hours and usually take about 40 minutes to clear iranian air space and you have have to fly over turkey and into europe and fly into geneva. the folks here believe that it is very possible that the four could arrive today here in ram sds tyne and would immediately be transferred, about one and a half mile trip to the landstuhl medical facility and that is more than a hospital. it's a really big complex. if, indeed the families are already here, there is quarters there they could stain then be

reunited with their loved ones and also of those medical checks would take place there. we have heard that jason rezaian had medical issues inside the prison there in iran. the process of having these people overcome what they have had to endure the past couple of years something will take sometime. it's unclear when exactly they would then make their way back to the u.s. >> frederik pleitgen live there in germany, thank you so much. appreciate it. let's go to chris frates with a new development from washington for us. chris? >> reporter: u.s. officials confirming what the families have been told that, in fact, those americans have left iran. i have a statement here from a senior administration official i want to read it to you guys. it says we can confirm that our detained u.s. citizens have been released and that those who wish to depart iran have. we have no further information to share at this time. i would ask this everyone

respect the privacy of these individuals and their families. when we have further information to share, we will. that is the first time that we have had a u.s. official confirm what we have heard from the families. that, in fact, four americans have left iran and on their way to switzerland now and then, will head to germany. so news out of washington here that the u.s. government starting to confirm what we had been hearing from those families. >> chris, let me ask you a follow-up here. i know that often they release a stadium and that is all. but i'm just looking for a bit of clarity here. from the statement, i understand that the four have been released and those who wish to leave iran have. is there an expectation that all four do not wish to leave iran? >> reporter: we were following up on that, victor. the expectation was everybody would leave iran but i think they were leaving it open that those decisions were made on a individual basis, family-by-family. we don't have -- we have not contacted all of the families to

see if, in fact, those folks have left. so we are going to be checking that out. but, you know, certainly that is the official statement. we will continue our reporting here to figure out are all four of those americans on that plane. >> chris frates, thank you, in washington. >> i had one more question, chris, if you doomed. >> reporter: sure. >> as we continue to watch and see when president rouhani will be stepping up to that podium and what he will say. any better indication today when we might hear from president obama? >> reporter: certainly, we have been waiting to hear that the americans had, in fact, left iran. there was a sense inside the white house that the president was waiting on that before he talked about both the americans and the broader nuclear deal. of course, most of the day yesterday we spent the day waiting for the iaea to say that the implementation day had arrived. so now those two things have occurred, you know, there is a thought that the president may speak today but we are still not getting any official guidance about when that might happen,

christi. >> chris frates, thank you for the updates. you're looking at live pictures here as we wait for president rouhani to step up to that podium and discuss everything that has happened really in the last 24, 48 hours and beyond. >> yes. >> the negotiations that it took perhaps to make all of this happen. we can tell you that there are celebrations today at "the washington post" and brian stetlor is looking into the elation of the folks there who have been waiting to see jason rezaian. >> yes. >> reporter: each of these men now on this plane have had supporters, have had allies throughout this arduous process. surchs, newspapers in case of jason rezaian. i wanted to sayer what "the washington post" has just said. the publisher of the post fred ryan issuing a statement he has been waiting to issue. he says "the post" is elated to

hear the news the plane has been taken off and he has been released from iranian prison and we are relieved this 545-day nightmare for jason and his family is finally over. the statement says jason experienced deplorable conditions and inhumane treatment. the top priority must be his health and his well-being. e-mails being exchanged among "post" official and some in those e-mails, "wheels up." he was detained in july of 2014. jason should have been writing the story and he would have been writing about this news today but, instead, he has been behind bars far too long and i'm sure his family must be -- >> incredible. >> do you think, brian, because he is a writer and, yet, the first and foremost as "the

washington post" colleagues stated and is so true, his health is most important. at sometime, though, because we are hearing about different treatments of different prisoners there who have now been released, how plausible do you think it might be that they will talk about what happened to them in full in their time that they were being held? >> reporter: we have learned a lot from journalists who have been detained in iran in the past. several individuals you've seen here on cnn. we had a couple of of them on "reliable sources" later this morning. people telling harrowing stories what it's like to be obtained months at a time. jason was retained far longer than any of the journalists in the past. this case seemed even more to torturous. i have a dealing, just a hunch that maybe he has been writing the story in his head the whole time. the way so many journalists do

when they are going through some kind of experience good or bad. obviously, it will take a while before we will hear his story and the story of the other men being freed today. "the washington post" is having a celebration at the end of this month in d.c. they are hoping their new newsroom. it's going to be a whole week of events. i'm sure they would love to see him there at the end of the month at that time but unclear how long he'll be in recovery and in germany. we have heard about a plan to go to switzerland and germany as the other men will as well. >> they need their time to heal, no doubt about that and certainly respect that and are sensitive to it. brian, thank you so much. >> let's go to international diplomatic editor nick robertson who is in vienna. nic, do you expect that the president will discuss this prisoner and hostage stop or is this another day of celebration of the implementation of this

deal? >> reporter: they want this as a success for iran and iran has essentially won this situation, this negotiation, that he will talk about the positive for iran. we have also heard him tweet, read his tweet earlier in the day where talked and speaking of earlier where it's talked there will be hardliners in the united states. we have heard criticism coming from him in recent days of the united states. i think we can examine robust language. essentially you know, allowing iranians to understand they have succeeded, that this is a good time for their economy, that the deal is a good one for them going forward. but, at the same time, setting the scene that if potentially there are issues down the road over implementing this nuclear deal, there could come a time

where the relationship between the united states and iran over this issue becomes frosty again and, therefore, we will hear him talk very likely about the hardliners in the united states. now when it comes to discussing the details of the prisoner exchange, potentially, this is something that he may not get into a lot of detail here about, because going to want to play the positives, the obviously positives for iran, rather than the fact iranian citizens ra released in the united states, yet some of them choosing to remain in the united states. it's not like for the united states, these five citizens are being released and they are coming back home to the united states. the part of the prisoner deal doesn't play out that way in iran. so i think potentially he may stay away from that. but, of course, we really will have to wait and see and listen

to what he says very closely, very carefully. but he will certainly play this as a success and point out the benefits for iran. >> nic, do we know anything about a meeting between the prisoners that are heading your way there to -- i'm sorry, they are heading to switzerland. will secretary of state john kerry be meeting them? >> reporter: it's very last night being here in vienna. both secretary of state john kerry and foreign minister of iran zarif here in vienna until late last night. radio silence since from both of them. we know the iranian foreign minister is back in tehran now and we understand that secretary kerry has left here and his whereabouts is unknown at the we know they would be there to greet the five americans as they return to european soil and if that is geneva, certainly

secretary kerry has a strong and long relationship with the authorities and officials there and helped him over recent years in geneva. >> nic robertson, thank you. appreciate the update. >> now to cnn's chief international correspondent christiane amanpour who is joining us by phone. we understand you have new information, christiane? >> reporter: i do. to that very question, i've just been told by official in washington, d.c. that secretary of state kerry is back in the united states and will not be meeting the released u.s. prisoners in europe. we don't know what will happen by the time they reach the u.s. but there is no plan to meet with the secretary of state in europe because he is no longer in europe but back stateside. that is on that logistical issue and that was confirmed to me by a very high level u.s. official. following -- obviously, we are waiting to hear what the iranian president rouhani has to say during his address and i assume

questions will be asked. as we have been saying pretty much all morning that this is going to be an address that points out and highlights the success of diplomacy, the success of implementing his pledge as president to the iranian people, that he would conduct diplomacy, that he would improve iran's relations with the rest of the world and he would improve iran's economy. in order to do that they have to have the sanctions lifted. this weekend, the moment that it was -- the implementation day was announced -- yesterday -- triggers the relief of a large thrash of sanctions that were nuclear readily aleased. so these are very, very important thing that the iranian president will highlight and will talk about as a success for his administration, given how

much trouble he had from within the hardline of the iranian establishment. of course, these negotiations were signed off on, approved, and eventually supported and backed by the supreme leader and let's not forget that this from both the u.s. side and the iranian side is just about the nuclear negotiation. there are no diplomatic relations with iran. they have not, you know, repaired their diplomatic breach but, on this key issue, they have this deal between iran and the united states and the rest of the world powers, so this does mark a brand-new chapter in the history of iran and the rest of the world, most particularly over its nuclear program. >> we are moments away from hearing from the iranian president rouhani. a live picture from this room in tehran where official and media have flooded in and are waiting for the president to speak. we will bring you those moments live as soon as they happen.

again, the latest we have is that the americans who have been freed are now on a plane, a swiss plane on the way to geneva. they will be there for a few days and then head to landstuhl air base where they will get some medical treatment. then that is where they will be reunited with their families. quick break. bring you the comments from president rouhani in a moment. these are the hands that keep private information private. these are the hands of pitney bowes, the craftsmen of commerce. these are the hands that dig for opportunity, identify patterns, and uncover risk. these are the hands of pitney bowes, the craftsmen of commerce. how much prot18%?does your dog food have? 20? nutrient-dense purina one true instinct with real salmon and tuna has 30% protein. support your active dog's whole body health

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we want to show you live pictures out of tehran. you can see some smiling faces. >> yes. >> on the folks as we wait that empty podium. the president, president rouhani will be stepping up in a couple of minutes, we anticipate, to address all that has happened in the last 24/48 hours here. christiane amanpour is on the phone with us now. christiane, we had this news this morning from the attorney of some of -- three of the iranians who are being held here in the u.s. who have now been released, and he said, he told us that it wasn't until iran received their funds from this iaea and this deal that was worked out in july, it wasn't until they received their fund that they would release the four american prisoners. we do know those prisoners are on a plane now out of iranian air space and on their way to switzerland. i'm wondering. when we talk about those funds,

how do you propose those funds will change day-to-day life for iranians? will it trickle down to the factory workers, to the students? >> reporter: well, look. i don't know the exact number, the dollar value of those funds, but, obviously, what iran wanted was to get back its funds that had been blocked in the united states and elsewhere. but also to be able to make money on the international market. it's main economy is oil so now it will be able to reestablish its oil economy although that is going to take time and to, you know, to make these commercial links again after years of sanctions, and also to be hooked back to the global economy. that is also really important for iran. not just in terms of -- not just in terms of the people of iran but also business people to be able to do business with the international community. that is the fundamental bread and butter of most economies. beyond natural resources is to

have access to the global banking and economic system. so that is going to happen. and it will probably take time and he is probably likely to warn them that just because today is -- well, it was actually in the last 24 hours, as implementation day, they are not necessarily going to see an immediate trickle down. this will take time but he will probably say they are on the right road. as we reported, he will highlight and, you know, make clear that as far as his administration, as far as iran is concerned, this is a great diplomatic victory and that they are now entering a new chapter in relations with the rest of the world. something the iranian people who elected him want. they don't want to be trapped behind an iron curtain of islamic extremist and hardline extremist policy, they want to be a part of the world. so that is basically what will likely say to the people. regarding the prisoner swap, it is not surprising that iran,

being a stickler for absolute symmetry in these issues, waited apparently for the lawyer for the iranians in an american jail, that the funds be transferred. at least some of that was apparently launched before the iranians released the americans and the americans could get on a plane to leave iran. we know the americans are on a plane out. we know, and i just reported a few moments ago, that secretary kerry is back stateside and will not be meeting with the american prisoners in europe, so that is not going to happen, according to the high level official who i spoke to. but beyond that, we are going to hear the iranian president's description of what this day, this negotiation and the future holds for iran. >> we are expecting those remarks in a few minutes. christiane, stay with us. we are following other stories that are developing this morning. let you know that rescuers have expanded the search off the coast of hawaii since 12 missing

marines. the coast guard says this search will stretch farther along the north shore on the island of oahu and eight miles to sea. >> the cdc is advising pregnant women to stop traveling to africa because of zika virus causing brain damage to babies. the virus is carried by mosquitoes and may have caused thousands of babies in brazil to be born with undersized brains. more help is on the way to flint, michigan, it seems. city residents protest what they say is a slow state response to lead in their drinking water. president obama has now declared a state of emergency, freeing up $5 million in federal aid so that money will be used or can be used on bottled water and filters for all of those folks. the city's water has been contaminated with lead ever since the city switched to what

they thought would be a cheaper water source and that was nearly two years ago. again, we are watching that room in tehran, waiting for comments from president rouhani of iran after the beginning of the implementation of this nuclear deal, and the release of those dual citizens, both by the u.s. and by iran. we will bring those to you live as they happen. what's that, broheim? i switched to geico and got more. more savings on car insurance? yeah bro-fessor, and more. like renters insurance.

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marie callender fills her with a rich, delicious gravy. because making the perfect dinner... ...isn't easy as pie. but finding someone to enjoy it with... sure is. marie callender's. you're looking at live pictures here as the president of iran, president hassan rouhani, is sitting in his seat in front of microphones. a very captive audience. here he is. let's listen to what he has to

say. >> translator: in the name of god, thecompassionate, thank god and greetings to his prophet. today is a historic day and exceptional day as well in the political and economic history of the nation of iran. after 12 years of perseverance and resistance, combined with patience and sacrifice, including martar dom for our

nuclear scientists and the unstoppable and continued effort of our nuclear scientists, diplomats, legal authorities, and economic authorities of the country, iran has reached at a point of juncture, we have arrived at a point of juncture, historic juncture at which, rather than allowing the nuclear issue to serve as an excuse for ill wishers to place sanctions on us, to divide us and pressure

us, the nuclear program will be used for the expansion of scientific, until this day, legally speak i ing. given that the islamic was under the pressure revenue six u.n. security council resolutions, and 12 resolutions by the board of the governors of the uiaea, we now stand with a legal framework, a resolution that endorses jecpoa. through the u.n. security council -- and this is an

international, global endorsement. as of today, the islamic republic of iran's nuclear agreement cannot be a delusional excuse. for ill-wishers to say that the country is dividing, but rather it is a tool for the progress both and development of the country as well as the security and stability of the region. as of today, our businessmen and women, our interpreters and traders can resort to the legal

norms of banking to expand trade and exports with greater facilities. as of today, the banks of the country will interact with banks around the world, over financial and monetary issues and will receive and give the required servic services, including the rendering service of the gop poll of our country. as of today, the restrictions are on all exports in our country, it's lifted.

and designated in the policy plans of the country. with the national interests in mind and national legislations in mind, oil and oil products, including me tro chemicals, will be exported as of today the modern aircraft and fleet will be available to companies that wish to be of service to the people. that is to say as of today it the safety will enhance -- >> you've been listening to iranian president hassan rouhani here as a historic day in the

political and economic history of iran. the now implementation of this jcpoa, the comprehensive plan of action that as he rightfully highlights will now lift restrictions on oil exports, on normalized banking in the country, and a return to legal norms of banking, expand trade and exports and greater filtds among other things are, including regulating inspections of the nuclear resources there in teheran and limiting many of the fall sets of the nuclear program. >> we're going to continue to monitor this behind the saenls here. we're taking a break. we're going to take a quick break here, we'll be right back. the average person will probably eat something or drink something that is acidic on a daily basis. those acids made over time wear the enamel. a lot of patients will not realize what's happening to the enamel. once it's gone, it's gone away for good.

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talking about the sanctions and of country economically when

it comes to barnging, exports, and trade. we to want go to richard quest now. richard, i understand you've got a real understand iing of $100 billion. >> implementation there yesterday and moving forward, you can take it as a all different levels. and each level is exceptionally significant for iran and the future direction of the country and it's economy, on the most basic level, the unfreezing of the non-u.s. athletes, that has an immediate impact of the iranian companies iranian governments.

then you start looking at how non-u.s. people and companies can now do business with iran. seldom spare parts for their industry. regenerate it, agriculture, the list goes on and on. every faucet of that economy, which has been hit by sanctions will now be available for inward investment. the big question, of course, is who gets their first? the one thing we know, guys, is it won't be the americans primary sanctions are still until place. >> all right, richard quest for us there in switzerland helping us understand the economic elements of this plan that now has been implemented. richard, thank you so much. this is cnn breaking news. >> so gladded to have you with us as always, 8:00 hour ear, i'm

christi paul. >> jim shoou toe is a moment. the president of the iran, historic day. his characterization was speaking specifically about the implementation of this jcpoa, the comprehensive plan of action as it relates to the nuclear deal. releasing four hostages held in iran, some for more than a year, some for several years. this is an amazing day, they'll be reunited, confirmed from a high level u.s. official that that plane carrying those four hostages is in the air en route to switzerland, likely, then in a few days, on to germany where there will get some medical treatment. let's go to jim who is watching the very latest for us, jim.