Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian, who was released last week in a prisoner swap with Iran, said on January 22 that he is heading to the United States with his family after completing medical checkups at a U.S. military hospital in Germany.
Rezaian, who was jailed in Iran for some 18 months on espionage charges he denies, said he’s not yet ready to discuss his prison experience.
"At some point, I will be ready to discuss my ordeal but for now, I just want to express my profound appreciation for the tremendous support I have received," Rezaian said in a statement.
Two other Iranian-Americans who were also released in the prisoner swap, former U.S. Marine Amir Hekmati and Christian pastor Saeed Abedini, arrived in the United States on January 21.
Hekmati spent more than four years in jail in Tehran after being convicted of espionage. His family has dismissed the charges against him. Hekmati was originally sentenced to death.
Abedini was sentenced in 2013 to eight years in prison after being accused of acting against Iran's national security by setting up home-based churches in Iran.
The Iranian-Americans were released on January 16, the same day that international sanctions on Iran were lifted.