siamak namazi is the longest held in the notorious prison here.y have set up the steps here, and as i understand it, the plane moments from here now will taxi around behind us on the apron, and they have auxiliary staff here to make sure that detainees get off safely and as near as i can see off to the right, a delegation here to welcome them. free at last is how they are going to be feeling after what has been such a long time. we know that they have been certainly not confirmed to us, but we understand that the five iranian prisoners held in the u.s. have been released today, two of whom it is reported have actually arrived back to doha, and what we can send out is the official confirmation that the five u.s. detainees are now moments away from arriving here in doha, and officially, we can confirm as well that the money, the iranian assets that were frozen in the south korean bank account transferred to switzerland. the u.s. raising the sanctions waiver, and that $6 billion has now arrived in the doha bank account for iranian banks accounts to b

siamak namazi it is now 51, when _ in the first place.is now 51, when he _ in the first place. siamak namazi it is now 51, when he was _ in the first place. siamak namazi it is now 51, when he was imprisonedj in the first place. siamak namazi it i is now 51, when he was imprisoned he was 43 and he had lost eight of his best years for no good reason, he was in tehran to visit family in 2015. and was arrested on completely wrong charges of him being a spy for the united states. he was a businessman at that point, had no access to any kind of confidential information and was then cruelly used as a bargaining chip, notjust him but also his father, 80—year—old who himself was imprisoned for more than five years, only because he went back to visit his son. this family has gone through a lot. we have to i'll remember although this is a political and geopolitical story but at its core is a human story. qt story but at its core is a human sto . .., , , story but at its core is a human sto . _, , , ., story but at its core is a human sto. , , ., st

they left siamak twice, and why? that is the question. that is the question. >> and john kirby said today when i asked him, what happens when they are of course criticizing and david sanger is here to join in the conversation, and the reason that the criticism comes from is that you are handing the way it is depicted is that it is $6 billion that you are handing over so they can continue to fund terrorism, et cetera, et cetera around the world. and what john kirby said today, if this money is seen to be, and it is going to be used for not humanitarian purposes, the tran action ends, because of the structure of the constraints around it. but it is not going to stop, the criticism s david. >> right. and what you are going to hear, using taxpayer money, and they haven't. and hearing from the critics, that you should not use money for ransoms whether it is democrats or republicans, we have ended up having to strike a deal, and sometimes it is prisoners for prisoners, and sometimes it is prisoners for releasing money, and the nature of the ira

can you tell me about some of the treatment that siamak namazi has suffered over the years?hat safely in public. siamak namazi his detention was in the iranian revolutionary hard—line military revolutionary ha rd—line military unit revolutionary hard—line military unit of evan prison, he was in a cell that had a concrete floor, a bucket to go the bathroom and, a tiny cell he was taken out every day was repeatedly interrogated on a daily basis for them he was beaten, taste, electrodes attached to his genitals. all this happened intensely and literally every day for two full years. the worst part of the torture was something that wasn't even physical. this was after his father had gotten grabbed when he returned to iran tried to visit in jail. he returned to iran tried to visit injail. he was he returned to iran tried to visit in jail. he was shown the images of his father being arrested at the airport. ken understood post on the images were real. a couple of weeks later his guard came in and told him bad news, yourfatherjust died of a heart attack. i'm very sorry but we decid

amna: siamak have been held for nearly eight years, have you spoken directly with him?i have, he gave me a call before they took off to say they would be wheels up. and when they landed i saw on my hotel tv him coming down the stairs it was amazing after advocating for him and his family. he gave me a call and said i am with a huge amount of joy, i am free. this is what we had been waiting for. amna: you tweeted a photo of him with a great big smile. he looks about as happy as anyone could be. we know he will be assessed medically and psychologically and given the support he needs could we remember this desperate , high-risk interview he gave. what can you say about his emotional and mental state? jared: clients of mine have been hostages around the world and it is overwhelming. obviously this is front-page news, top story around the world. he is living it. he knew it was coming. he'd been under house arrest for a number of weeks with other hostages. we had a lot of conversations about how this would feel and it often feels like an out of body experience. you have been

the siamak namazi, for example, the longest-held american in iranian captivity.rly eight years in the notorious evin prison. accompanied by his mom back here and processed before they head home to the united states. what do we know about that departure? well, it is any time now. we are told, we have no confirmation agens of yet that y actually have departed doha, talking to the officials they wanted to process them and ensure them on their way and get them on their way, each of the five american, dual citizens, iranian americans simply wants to get home to their friends and their families. so a very, very emotional day. right up in the last minute, right up in the point at which we saw those former hostages on the flight. it was really touch and go. after all, we never have seen these prisoner swaps in the past. we know that things haven't always gone to plan, so it was really keeping a lid on it today and just hoping that things would come together. the qataris have done really remarkable job in what has been a complex and complicated negotiation. of course, u.s

siamak namazi, 51 years old. the longest held a rainy american held in on iranian prison.her person detained since 2013. and morad tahbaz and environmentalists detained in 2018. all of them convicted of spying charges which is led the united states to say that these are not ordinary prisoners, these are not ordinary prisoners, these are not ordinary prisoners, these are hostages. as part of the swap, we understand that two of the iranians released from american jails today are not expected to return to iran. those five prisoners, according to irani and officials, were charged with violations of us sanctions. three of them had actually been awaiting trial, two of them the sentences were about to expire. they have now been freed, given clemency as the phrase being used by the united states as part of this prisoner swap. us officials are clear. this was a very difficult decision. negotiations, talks, negotiating with nine rounds of talks here in qatar. in separate hotels, qatari officials shuttling between them trying to wrestle with all of the difficult details to come up wi

morad tahbaz and emad shargi and siamak namazi. on to the u.s.y were released as part of a wider deal that includes the united states unfreezing 6 billion in iranian funds. these freed americans will have the option to participate in a department of defense program to help them acclimate back to life. remember, nahazi was in prison for almost eight years. we're going to speak with his uncle straight ahead. >> separate the policy and the politics for a minute and families being day >>> just hours from now, president biden is set to speak on the world stage at the united nations and it comes at a moment of global crisis or crises. there's a brutal grinding war in ukraine with no end in sight. catastrophic climate disasters around the world. the earth just had its hottest summer on record and a growing migrant crisis, just to name a few. several key world leaders wouldn't be there at the u.n., russia, china, france, the uk. their leaders are sitting this one out. it's casting doubt about how much can actually be accomplished this week. >> cnn chief

the three we know of is 51-year-old siamak namazi, who spent more time in an iranian prison than any citizen in history. shortly after he was arrested his father flew to iran and tried to secure his release. he was subsequently arrested. he's a man in his 80s. he was only released in 2022 on health grounds so if anybody knows what siamak namazi is feeling, his father certainly does. the other two is 59-year-old business marn and a 67-year-old environmentalist. he also holds bridge citizenship, so we know these three guys who they are, we know that we don't know which one of their family members flew over on that qatar jet with them, but some of their family members also flew with them to pick them up to go back to qatar, and it's going to be a moment of extreme joy and relief for these peoples. i mean, we don't need to tell our viewers, it's a notorious prison. it's not an easy place to spend time let alone eight-plus years. this is really going to be a moment of massive relief for these guys. and they probably, you know, didn't know that they were going to be released up until a cou

and siamak has been held since october 2015, that's nearly eight years, only because he's american. the same with the other two who have been held more or less for the two and a half and two years each. they have been held as part of the ongoing iranian strategy of trying to get its money back that has been frozen in many, many countries after the islamic revolution of 1979. and so this has just been going on. and at the heart of it, though, really, is a human story. at the heart of it are people who have been just swept up, you know, some sham trial, some completely irrelevant charges, some completely nonsensical sentences. and put into deep suffering in evine, which eall know to be such a hard, terrible place, where they have a whole set of different kinds of prisoners there, especially, they have political prisoners. you know, there are a lot of the protesters from, you know, this year of women's protests who are still there. and when i spoke to siamak in march, you know, he took a last-ditch desperation move to risk calling out of prison. he did have phone privileges, but not ne

siamak namazi, the 50-year-old who spent more time in the iranian prison. accompanying emad shargi and morad tahbaz who also holds british citizenship. two of their family members on the plane with them it which will be landing in qatar probably in the next hour. they'll probably go through quick medical checks in qatar. and from there, they'll be flying to washington with the two family members. in explain, the iranians are getting back five prisoners held in the u.s. now, only two of them are coming to iran, ana, the others have legal status in the united states and decided to stay there. and the other two are in qatar, we can presume that plane taking iranian americans to qatar will then bring the iranian policers back to iran. and the deal will be completed. as you mentioned the iranians received that $6 billion in a qatari bank account that they will have access to. that was the main thing for them, as long as they got that money because the country's in such a financial chaos. so that's really what was needed to cement the deal. that transfer has been

look, i was so pleased to see siamak namazi and morad tahbaz and others come home. we weren't going to pay $6 billion or a billion plus per hostage because that creates a market for hostages. it makes your blue passport worth a billion dollars. i'm concerned that americans traveling abroad will be targeted by countries like russia and china and iran but also terrorist organizations who know that they can get a big ransom if we pay these sorts of fees and we just weren't prepared to do it. we had unprecedented success bringing americans home from all over the world. the other issue, margaret, what is iran going to do with that money. we saw this with the jcpoa. they took that money and spent it on terrorism and ballistic missiles and nuclear programs. i'm afraid they will build for drones and kill ukrainians with the money we gave them. i'm very concerned about the look of the deal internationally. >> as you know the current administration would argue that those funds are being meld a restricted account in qatar like they were held in a restricted account in south ko

it is a joyful day, but knowing siamak, and his very strong personality, and his values, i'm sure that out of this trauma as soon as possible so he can dedicate his time to constructive ideas. free men, arm in arm. he then took a call from the top diplomat in america, who has vowed to stop this hostage taking. we will take steps every day to make this practice more and more difficult, and more and more of a burden on those countries that engage in it. this is such an extraordinary moment in this very ordinary setting, marking the end of a very painful, personal ordealfor americans, who became bargaining chips in iran's wrangling with the west and they could only secure their freedom through this very political deal which is highly complex and deeply controversial. iran's leaders see this as a victory, which is why critics of the deal, including leading us republicans, say it will only encourage iran to take more hostages. the islamic republic, suffering under crippling sanctions, and unprecedented protests, sees the foreigners in this prison as one of its few levers to put pressure on

and 51—year—old siamak namazi, who spent the longest in the notorious evin prison.s statement today... the we spoke to one of his relatives who also spent time in evin prison. it is a joyful day but knowing siamak namazi and his strong personality and his values, i'm sure that he will try to come out of this trauma as soon as possible so he can dedicate his time elsewhere. freeman, arm in arm, and he then took a call —— free men, arm in arm, and he then took a call from the top diplomat in america who has vowed to stop this hostagetaking. we will take steps every day to make this practice more and more difficult, and more and more of a burden on those countries that engage in it. this is such an extraordinary moment in this extraordinary setting, and a painful personal ordeal for americans who became bargaining chips in iran's wrangling with the west and they could only secure their freedom through this very political deal which is highly complex and deeply controversial. iran's leaders see this as a victory, it is why critics of the deal including leading us republ

siamak namazi was left behind by president obama in 2016. from their, i told the family, he will be out in a couple weeks. instead -- by the end of the obama administration they were hostages. then president trump comes along and we hope along with the family president trump is talking about maximum pressure on iran, great. see if that works. it turns out the campaign was a zero pressure policy on american hostages. there's not a single action taken by president trump to put pressure on iran that connected to hostages that had any impact. four years later not only were they still in jail, but despite having been promised it would not happen, they were left behind two more times. americans that were taken later were -- deals were struck to get them out and the namazis were left behind. so what is the difference between barack obama and donald trump for then? the answer is nothing. no administration seems to take this seriously. i am glad president biden got this done but the reality is this is not a top priority of this administration or any

siamak namazi, 51 years old, the longest held iranian—american in detention in an iranian prison. another businessperson detained since 2018. and also morad tahbaz, an environmentalist, also detained in 2018, all of them convicted of spying charges, which has led the united states to say these are not ordinary prisoners, these are hostages. as part of this swap, we understand that two of the iranians released from american jails arrived in doha today. the three others released as part of this deal are not expected to return to iran. those five prisoners, according to the iranian officials, they were either convicted or charged with what were violations of us sanctions. three of them had actually been awaiting trial. two of them, the sentences were about to expire, but they have now been freed, given clemency, is the phrase being used by the united states as part of this prisoner swap. us officials are clear, this was a very difficult decision in negotiations, indirect talks, talks negotiated or nine rounds of discussions here in qatar, iranians and americans in separate hotels. qa

like siamak namzi, both men received 10—year sentences.fifth prisoners have not been identified. the agreement will also see the release of $6 billion of iranian funds held in south korea, and five iranians imprisoned in us jails will be freed at the same time. five metropolitan police officers are due to appear at a gross misconduct hearing over the stop—and—search of athlete bianca williams. the british sprinter and her partner richard dos santos were stopped in their car in west london injuly 2020. they were handcuffed, searched and separated from their three—month—old son, but nothing was found and no arrests were made. new research suggests the social media platform snapchat was involved in nearly half of all online grooming crimes recorded by police in england and wales in the past year. figures obtained by the nspcc show there were more than 2000 known cases of sexual communication with a child on the platform. the nspcc is part of a global coalition of more than 100 sexual abuse survivors families and child safety experts demanding

and 51—year—old siamak namazi, who spent the longest in tehran�*s notorious evin prison.s statement today... we spoke to one of his relatives who also spent time in evin prison. it is a joyful day but knowing siamak namazi and his strong personality and his values, i'm sure that he will try to come out of this trauma as soon as possible so he can dedicate his time to constructive ideals. three men, arm in arm, and he then took a call from the top diplomat in america who has vowed to stop this hostage taking. we will take steps every day to make this practice more and more difficult, and more and more of a burden on those countries that engage in it. this is such an extraordinary moment in this extraordinary ——ordinary setting, and a painful personal ordeal for americans who became bargaining chips in iran's wrangling with the west and they could only secure their freedom through this very political deal which is highly complex and deeply controversial. iran's leaders see this as a victory too. it is why critics of the deal including leading us republicans say it will only

and 51—year—old siamak namazi, who spent the longest in the notorious evin prison.ne of his relatives who also spent time in evin prison. it is a joyful day but knowing siamak namazi and his strong personality and his values, i'm sure that he will try to come out of this trauma as soon as possible so he can dedicate his time elsewhere. freeman, arm in arm, and he then took a call from the top diplomat in america who has vowed to stop this hostagetaking —— a free man. we america who has vowed to stop this hostagetaking -- a free man. we will take ste -s hostagetaking -- a free man. we will take steps every _ hostagetaking -- a free man. we will take steps every day _ hostagetaking -- a free man. we will take steps every day to _ hostagetaking -- a free man. we will take steps every day to make - hostagetaking -- a free man. we will take steps every day to make this - take steps every day to make this practice more and more difficult, and more and more of a burden on those countries that engage in it. this is such an extraordinary moment in this extraordinary setting,

siamak had been there since 2015. and they've been powerful advocates. of congress, they had rallies in front of the white house, they pushed to meet with president biden. all of these efforts was to push the administration do whatever it takes to bring their loved ones home. that's ultimately what we saw play out with this deal between the u.s. and iran. one of the officials most involved is roger gerson. he was there in doha, he through with them overnight, back to the united states, and he was there for that emotional reunion early this morning. this is what he told cnn about that moment. >> i can say i probably haven't cried this much since i was a little kid. there's a chance to watch five different people, seven people in total, interact in a way that was very amazing. this is the first time they've had a chance to talk without being surveilled by the iranian government in years. to watch them relax, lighten up, share laughs. >> yeah, so roger said this was a really powerful moment, he encouraged all of the five returned detainees to take place in

in the case of siamak namazi here here in glass, nearly eight years. listen to the joy as they walked off the plane in virginia. [ cheers ] >> they were released as part of a wired deal that included release of five riranians in th u.s. and also unfreezing of nearly $6 billion. and so natasha, what happens to the freed americans? they have a long road to recovery even as they are obviously very happy to be home. >> yeah, and as you said, all of these five americans have been imprisoned there in iran for at least five years. in the case of one, siamak namazi, he has been there for over eight years. so now it is a long process for them to rebeing a will i mate into society, readjust to normal life after being held captive essentially by iranians for so long. and that is the u.s. that the special envoy for hostage affair as really conveyed to them when he spoke to them after they all landed on u.s. soil earlier this morning at ft. belvoir. he says we encourage you to take advantage of the support program. and he also said that the whole thing from beginni

the problems of shahin zahtakash, known as shahin lu, is one of these efforts, together with siamak tedin in the netherlands, through virtual space , it is making a network for terrorist operations inside the country. 43 of their organizations have been discovered that are prepared to attack the people . i will send you 15 for now unhappiness, for example, in the month of the network, they were identified and arrested, but the ministry of information also identifies another complex organization in isfahan, a group that has created a network through virtual space, creating gatherings other than disrupting public order on the highway, carrying out the mission of organizing the victims of the riots for the confrontation between the government and all the people, led by saba latifi, the picture from mazandaran, the main work of making explosives, the people who were connected by this person with reza and farah pahlavi and also with the group of hypocrites in sweden. we planned for the 25th day. molotov is occupying the group of hypocrites who appeared in riots last year with guns and killed s

a lot more details about that, but imagine these people who have been there eight years, nearly, siamakand others who are waiting, another minute delay is torture for them. if they are indeed on the way to the airport, that's fantastic, and they will get on to this qatar plan, leave iran ran airspace, get on the tarmac in doha, be transferred after a medical check to a u.s. government plane, and arrive here at a u.s. military base. we don't know exactly which one. we assume andrews, but we don't know. later, tonight, and their particular ordeal, this phase will be over, though there will be counseling, and getting acquainted with free life and family that's going to have to happen. >> let's listen to part of your interview with siamak namazi who in october would have been in the prison for eight years, and he wrote why have i been left to rot, his words. >> the longest, since the famous hostage crisis in '80. three times longer. >> let's let everyone listen to this. >> i think the very fact that i have chosen to take this risk and appear on cnn from prison should just tell you how dire

this really ends a long nightmare for the dual iranian american citizens, one of shem, siamak namazi has been in prison since 2015. he's been extremely angry with the biden administration for lack of action on their part. and the obama administration which negotiated a similar deal that thanamazi was left behind that deal at that time. and then bringing home wrongfully detained americans overseas a sint tral part of its foreign policy. of course, this has received a lot of criticism here at home because of that $6 billion that i mentioned earlier. republicans really seizing on that saying it amounts to a ransom payment. but of course, the administration says, look, we see an opportunity here to get these five iranian americans home, back to the u.s., back to their families and we're going to seize it. of course, emphasizing this is not u.s. taxpayer money, is this iranian money that there be transferred to accounts overseen by qatar and the u.s. treasury department for their disbursement, kacie. >> can we talk about the limitations on that money? my understanding is that the iranians

. >> reporter: prisoner siamak namazi's brother speaking after their reunion. >> we've been apart forompletely unbelievable. >> reporter: the prisoners first boarded a charter plane in tehran. hours later landed in doha. some of them seen smiling. three of them all dual iranian american citizens sharing an embrace. they walked into the terminal. >> i spoke to them after they landed in doha. i can tell you that it was, for them, for me, an emotional conversation. >> reporter: siamak namazi, who the u.s. says was arrested on false espionage charges writing for almost eight years i have been dreaming of this day. adding he can't wait to get to an apple store. i am dying to find out what gadgets now exist. >> he's missed eight years of his life. he wants to get married and have kids. >> reporter: still the swap is controversial. in addition to the u.s. and iran exchanging five prisoners, the biden administration unlocking $6 billion in iranian money frozen by u.s. sanctions and the white house says iran can only use it for things like food and medicine with the u.s. officials approaching

siamak namazi, who the u.s. says was arrested on false espionage charges, saying in a statement, "for almost eight years i have been dreaming of this day. adding he can't wait to get to an apple store. "i am dying to find out what gadgets now exist. tonight the biden administration downplaying whether the release could lead to better relations with one of america's most bitter enemies, even slapping new sanctions today on tehran >> we continue to be determined to take whatever step is necessary to deal with actions by iran. >> reporter: the prisoner swap is controversial. the u.s. and iran both exchanging five prisoners. but the biden administration going further. additionally unlocking $6 billion in iranian oil money, frozen by u.s. sanctions the white house says iran can only use the money for things like food and medicine, with u.s. officials approving each transaction. but iran's president telling lester last week iran will spend the money on whatever it wants >> do you believe you have the right to use that

it's complete nonsense and just because they were american citizens, and yes, i talked to siamak, many times he had been left behind in previous u.s. prisoner swaps. >> let's have everyone listen to part of that interview. here it is. >> i think the very fact that i've chosen to take this risk and appear on cnn from prison, it should just tell you how dire my situation has become by in point. i've been a hostage for seven and a half years now. that's six times the duration of the hostage crisis. i keep getting told that i'm going to be rescued, and deals fall apart or i get left abandoned. honestly, the other hostages and i desperately need president biden to finally hear us out, to finally hear our cry for help and bring us home, and i suppose desperate times call for desperate measures, so this is a desperate measure. >> eight years. >> yes, he was arrested in october of 2015, you know, during one of his business trips to iran, but i think very importantly also, you know, other administrations, many administrations have done these deals to get back wrongfully detained americans, and

. >> two family members of -- >> was it siamak's mother?xactly who they're attached to. they weren't allowed to leave, even though they weren't being detained or imprisoned, they weren't allowed to leave. we actually got seven americans out of iran. >> finally, you represent -- you speak for national security issues for the white house, for this administration. how is u.s. national security better today because of this deal and not worse off as i have heard many republicans say? >> first of all, what's really better off are five families. i think that's really important to remember. number two, as i said earlier, well, we just executed more sanctions on entities in iran today, spiecifically for the offense of wrongfully detained americans and we upped our military presence in the gulf region, we added some additional sanctions on iran a few days go. we're holding iran to account and we're mindful of our national security interests in the region and we're doing everything to protect our troops, interests, allies and partners in that part of

. >> reporter: for 51-year-old businessman siamak namazi, it's the end of an eight-year ordeal according to his attorney jared genser. >> he's missed eight years of the best of his life. he wants to get married and have kids. he has to figure out where he's going to live and get a job. he has to rebuild his life. >> reporter: it's the same year emad shargi was first arrested and held without trial in iran's notorious prison what is considered trumped up espionage charges. in return five were granted clemency. two will remain in the u.s., two others will be returned to iran. critics worry now as part of the deal iranians will have access to $6 billion held in a restricted account in qatar. >> these monies can be used to support terrorist organizations and adventuresome actions of iran. >> repororter: the b biden adadministratition insiststs th treasury can prevent that misuse and only permit humanitarian purchases like food and medicine. >> the funds were moved to another bank where we have absolute oversight of how they're used, and we have absolute confidence in the process and the syst

natalie brand has the latest from washington. [ cheers ] >> reporter: siamak namazi first off the plane to a step toward freedom, closed his eyes, and drew in a breath. he was one of five americans incarcerated for years in iran on unsubstantiated charges of spying. his family was waiting with open arms on the tarmac. >> real hero of this story surviving eight years of brutal treatment but never losing hope. >> freedom! >> reporter: the former prisoners and their families snapped a group photo before heading off for medical examinations. they include two businessmen, an environmentalist, and a former u.n. worker. in exchange for the release, president biden granted five iranian nanationals clememency, the regimeme will have a access nearly $6 billion of unfrozen iranian oil assets held in a restricted account in qatar. that move has drawn criticism from some lawmakers on capitol hill including senator marco rubio, the top republican on the senate intelligence committee. >> and now elements all over the world realize we can get something in exchange for americans. let's take something. >

the companion of siamak tedin in the netherlands is making a network for terrorist operations inside the country through cyberspace. why is it that there is a story against more than 43 of their organizations that were discovered that were prepared to attack the people? it is important for you to send at least 15 for now. bashin dimah zemin were identified and arrested, but the ministry of information also identifies other complex problems in isfahan, a group that has created a network through cyberspace, creating illegal gatherings, disrupting public order, broadcasting on the highway, and carrying out the mission of organizing the victims of the riots to confront the government. and the people are all related to the leadership of this american saba latifi, including elizabeth hernandez, who converted the digital currency into banknotes and delivered it to their beads inside . also, the group of hypocrites in sweden has a connection with reza pahlavi and farah pahlavi , we planned for the 25th day to control molotov for the places of these two people in qazvin, the group of hypocrit

one of these efforts in denmark, together with siamak tedin in the netherlands , is making a network terrorist operations inside the country through cyberspace. 43 of their organizations have been discovered. which is prepared to attack people it is important to you, at least i think i should send 15 for the time being. for example, it has been identified and arrested in the month, but the ministry of intelligence has identified another complex organization in isfahan, a group that has created a network through cyberspace, creating gatherings other than disrupting public order, distributing nails. in the freeway, organizing the victims of riots for the confrontation between the government and the people, all led by saba latifi, a picture from mazandaran, the main work of making explosives, people who were connected by this person with reza and farah pahlavi, and also in sweden , i had a connection with reza pahlavi and farah pahlavi. we made words for the twenty-fifth day for these two people, he is occupying the group of hypocrites in qazvin, who showed up last year with guns and ki

emad sharghi, morad tahbaz and siamak namazi with two other people unnamed are all heading to washington, d.c. to unite with family. >> these americans are now free after having endured something i think most of us can't possibly imagine. >> reporter: the biden administration agreed to a deal in august clearing $6 billion in frozen iranian oil funds and transferring the money from south korea to switzerland and then to a bank in qatar. officials insist there are guardrails on how the money can be used and won't be accessible to support terrorism or iran's nuclear program. >> president biden's been very clear that one way or another he's committed to insuring iran never acquire nuclear weapons. >> reporter: though the biden administration reiterated the money will be severely restricted, some lawmakers on capitol hill say they're concerned that any financial relief will incentivize future hostage taking. >> $6 billion of released funds will only make it far more expensive for every single american whose traveling abroad. it's a bad decision, although we do thank god those folks are coming

. >> reporter: three of the americans, oil executive siamak namazi, held for eight years, conservationistorad tahbaz, and businessman emad shargi were accused of espionage, which they vehemently deny. the fourth and fifth americans wish to remain anonymous. in exchange for their freedom, the biden administration granting clemency to five iranians held in the u.s. and agreeing to unfreeze $6 billion in iranian oil revenues that had been held up by u.s. sanctions. the biden administration adamant that this is not american money and that iran has agreed to only use the funds for humanitarian purposes. >> this involved the access by iran to its own money. >> reporter: but top republicans say any deal with iran is dangerous. >> unfortunately, the deal that secured their release may very well be the latest example of president biden rewarding and incentivizing tehran's bad behavior. >> reporter: president biden today defending the negotiation, saying it ended years of agony, uncertainty and suffering, adding, reuniting wrongfully detained americans with their loved ones has been a priority for

. >> reporter: siamak namazi was reunited with his brother after nearly eight years behind bars. >> i'm. you feel like it's a dream. the nightmare is finally over. >> reporter: volodymyr zelenskyy knows he needs to convince u.s. leaders in congress that ukraine is spending u.s. dollars wisely. just yesterday, he fired all six of his deputy defense ministers as he continues to work to root out corruption in a department that is suddenly flush with foreign cash. norah. >> that corruption will be a story. nancy cordes, thank you. >>> well, now to shocking new details about that new york city day care that the department of justice says was operating as a drug ring. tonight there are new federal charges against the owner of the center along with a man who was renting a room inside. authorities say the pair was using the business as a front to hide their true operation, a fentanyl drug mill. cbs's jessica moore has the new details. >> every new yorker should be outraged. >> reporter: investigators say they recovered this kilogram of fentanyl, enough to kill 500,000 adults, and two kilo press

. >> reporter: three of the americans, oil executive siamak namazi held for eight years, conservationist morad tahbaz, and businessman emad shargi, were accused of espionage, which they vehemently deny. the fourth and fifth americans wish to remain anonymous. earlier this year, in an interview with cnn from behind bars, namazi appealing directly to president biden. >> i keep getting told that i might be rescued, and deals fall apart where i get left abandoned. honestly, the other hostages and i desperately need president biden to finally hear us, to finally hear our cry for help, and bring us home. >> reporter: today, after 2,898 days in captivity, he thanked the president, saying in a statement he looks forward to getting re-acquainted with liberty, saying, "i want to lay back on the grass with the warm sun on my face and gaze up at the open blue skies." in exchange for their freedom, the biden administration granting clemency to five iranians held in the u.s. and agreeing to unfreeze $6 billion in iranian oil revenues that had been held up by u.s. sanctions. the biden administration ad

. >> reporter: for 51-year-old businessman siamak namazi it's an eight-year deal to the attorney. >> best years of his life. eight years, wants to be married and have kids, yes to figure out what he is going to do for a living in a job and how does he rebuild his life. >> reporter: iran detained journalist, when first arrested and held without trial at the evan prison on what the u.s. considers trumped up espionage charges, five iranian nationals were granted clemency. two returned to iran today. critics of the diplomacy saved the regime will now as part of the deal have access to $6 billion worth of unfrozen iranian oil access, held in qatar. >> this can be used to support terrorist organizations, a and adadventurouss and actions of i. >> reporter: they insist that the treasury can prevent that misuse and only permit food and medicine. >> the funds were moved to another bank where we have absolute oversight of how they are used and absolute confidence in the process in the system that has been set up. >> reporter: another concern is that releasing funds incentivizes hostage taking b

three of the americans -- oil executive siamak namazi held since 2015, conservationist morad tahbaz, and businessman emad shargi, were accused of espionage -- which they vehemently deny. the fourth and fifth americans want to remain anonymous. all five were transferred from prison to house arrest in tehran while the agreement between the u.s. and iran was finalized. >> my belief is that this is the beginning of the end of their nightmare, and the nightmare that their families have experienced. >> reporter: under the deal, iran can only use the $6 billion for humanitarian purposes. but critics say iran shouldn't have access to this money at all. now, officials here insist there are a lot of checks in place on how iran can spend this $6 billion. the u.s. treasury, we are told, will have eyes on these transactions, and veto power. and david, tonight, we're told these five americans could be coming home as soon as next week. david? >> david: all right, mary bruce live at the white house. mary, thank you. >>> next tonight here, north korea's dictator kim jong-un is on his way to russia no

. >> reporter: for 51-year-old businessman siamak namazi, it is the end to an eight year ordeal according has missed some of the best years in his life. he wants to get married and have kids. he wants to figure out what he has to do for a living. and how does he rebuild his life. >> reporter: iranian detained environmentalist, the same year emad shargi was arrested and held without trial. in the notorious ebon prison on what u.s. considers trumped up charges. five iranian nationals were dedelivered clemency. two remain in the u.s., two returning to iran today. and the regime will now as part of the deal have access to $6 billion of unfrozen iranian oil access held in qatar. >> this can be used to support terrorist organizations and other actions of iran. >> reporter: the biden administration insists that they can withhold that misuse. and itit will onlyly be used f r food and medicine. >> they are moved to another bank where we have absolute oversight of how they are used. and we have absolute confidence in the system that has been set up. >> reporter: another concern is that releasing fu

siamak namazi was reunited with his brother after nearly eight years behind bars. >> it just makes youhtmare is finally over. >> reporter: volodymyr zelenskyy knows he needs to convince u.s. leaders in congress that ukraine is spending u.s. dollars wisely. just yesterday he fired all six of his deputy defense ministers as he continues to root out corruption in an department that is suddenly flush with foreign cash. norah. >> norah: that's corruption will be the story. nancy cordes, thank you. now to shocking new details about that new york city day care that the department of justice says was operating as a drug ring. tonight there are new federal charges against the owner of the center along with a man who was renting a room inside. authorities say that the pair was using the business as a front to hide their true operation, a fentanyl drug mill. cbs's jessica moore has the new details. >> every new yorker should be outraged. >> reporter: investigators say they recovered this kilogram of fentanyl, enough to kill 500,000 adults and 2-kilo presses use to package large quantities of drug

business trip in iran and was later convicted on spying charges and sentenced to ten years injail, siamakhis wife in 2018 when he was first detained. before then, he was arrested two years later, also on espionage charges. and there is also morad tahbaz. he is a british—american conservationist. he was arrested five years ago. he also received a ten year sentence. the fourth and the fifth american who also holds a iranian passport have not been revealed. the names of the five iranians prisons in the united states, not all of whom are expected to return to iran today, have been released by the iranian mission in new york. so this is an extraordinary moment, especially a rare moment of cooperation between iran and the united states, who do not have diplomatic ties. this complex deal was negotiated over nearly a year by the qatari officials, shuttling between american and iranian delegations in two separate hotels here in the qatari capital. and the end of their efforts will be seen today. lyse doucet, our — efforts will be seen today. lyse doucet, our chief _ efforts will be seen today. lys

one of the five, siamak namazi, who spent almost eight years in an iran prison, sharing in a statementwould not be free today if it wasn't for all of you who didn't allow the world to forget me. and he thanked the president for, as he put it, ending this nightmare. their release is part of a controversial prisoner exchange between the us and iran. one the president has no higher priority than making sure that americans who are unjustly detained anywhere can come home. the deal calls for the us to release five iranian prisoners, two of which will remain on us soil in exchange for the five americans and it freed up $6 million in iranian funds that were frozen due to sanctions. the whole world has gotten the message take americans hostage. you get billions of dollars. critics of the deal say the us should not pay ransom for its prisoners, but advocates believe it's a fair exchange. the us is not making a major concession to iran. the us has not paid any money to iran. these are iranian assets. president biden celebrating the americans freedom while also imposing new sanctions on iran for

the most high—profile prisoner is siamak namazi.is an iranian businessman who was detained in iran in 2015, when he was in the capital on a business trip. two years later, he was sentenced to ten years in prison on spying charges. he is the longest detained iranian—american prisoner. emad shargi was travelling with his wife in iran in 2018 when he was detained. two years later, he was rearrested. 0n espionage charges. and there is morad tahbaz, a british—american conservationist and environmentalist, he was arrested five years ago. also jailed for ten years. and we understand that the fourth and the fifth prisoner have asked for their identities not to be released to the public. this is a very sensitive deal. the iranian mission in new york released the names of the five iranians who will be freed from american prisoners —— prisons today, there were all convicted of violating us sanctions. the term given for them will be they have been given clemency. this is a very complex and controversial deal, so let's get more details and asses

siamak namazi, emad sharghi and mo mo morad tahbaz and two others who did not want to be identified arrivingand namazi had been wrongfully detained for eight years. and we have more from nic robertson. and nic, the images are beautiful seeing the moments and something that these, some of the families have not really believe was going to ever happen, but what is next? >> yeah, it is amazely heartwarming, isn't it? you cannot but let yourself feel the emotion there, and empathize with them, and understand what they have been through, but of course, we can't understand what they have been through, because we have not been through it, and this is part of the ordeal coming, and first off, looking they will get the medical checks which may take a couple of days, and they will get the medical treatment, and have their families around them, and sort of breathe deeper, and rest easier, but those sleeps in the months ahead at night are not going to be easy, and ki say this, because we have spoken with nasser dean who has spoken to us about at night unpacking all of the terror and the uncertainty that

we saw this process start to move forward about a month ago when four of the americans, siamak namaziose identity we don't know were moved into house arrest in iran. and in the weeks since, we've seen the steps start to be taken, including with the $6 billion in iranian funding. this is going to be moved from those accounts in south korea to qatar and the reason they issued these waivers was to ensure that the banks in europe don't have to fear getting sanctioned. now the administration has come under some scrutiny from lawmakers who are condemning them for making the agreement with the iranian regime. the state department spokesperson matt miller hit back on the criticisms just a few minutes ago. take a listen. >> i do recognize that there are tough choices involved here and the secretary has been forthright about this. the president has been upfront. there are always tough choices involved in bringing home american citizens. but we -- the president and the secretary have decided that their first priority is to bring these american citizens home and that's why agreed to this arrangem

. >> it's becoming more common, siamak namazi referred to that in his statement.the past 40 years the iranian regime has engaged in the nasty game of commercizing their freedom. in the evin prison, the notorious prison where you and others were held is dystopian of hostages. given the fact that this is be ing more common. and the perception is, with evidence, that iran, russia and china take prisoners so that they can set up an exchange like 00 this, get something in return, what is to stop it? what is to stop it? what policy changes are necessary? >> i think you have to look at the motivations for each of the governments that do this. and some of the hostage-takings, even by a government, you know, like iran, whether it's u.s. national, british national, canadian some other european national, they take them for different reasons. you really have to look at the motivations and develop the mechanisms that respond to the motivations. making it costlier than beneficial for them. you're driving up the costs of doing this but targeting the officials involved in what is

we get the first reaction from siamak that maz si's brother on his long fight to get his loved one home united to