Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian ‘feeling good’ after release from Iran

The Washington Post reporter who was released from Iran as part of a prisoner swap with the U.S. said Monday that “physically, I’m feeling good” after enduring 18 months in captivity, the Post reported.

The Post also published a photo that showed a grinning Jason Rezaian posing with members of his family, who were also smiling – though Rezaian hinted that his recovery might take a while.

“I want people to know that physically, I’m feeling good,” Rezaian told the Post at Ramstein Air Base in Germany, where he was taken for medical checks. “I know people are eager to hear from me, but I want to process this for some time.”

There had been concerns about Rezaian’s health during his captivity at Tehran’s notorious Evin Prison.

Rezaian was among the four jailed Americans released by Iran over the weekend in exchange for U.S. prosecutors pardoning or dropping cases against 21 Iranians.

The deal was the result of a year of secret negotiations and was announced hours before the U.S. also lifted sanctions on Iran as part of Iran’s agreement to place restrictions on its nuclear program.

In addition to Rezaian, U.S. Marine veteran Amir Hekmati and Christian pastor Saeed Abedini, of Boise, also left Iran after their release over the weekend. A fourth Iranian American, Nosratollah Khosravi-Roodsari, about whom little is known, chose to stay in Iran, U.S. officials said, adding that it was his right.

Abedini’s wife, Naghmeh, told the Idaho Statesman on Monday that she and her two children will fly to meet him on the East Coast to heal and reconnect with him. She said her husband is being treated at a U.S. Army medical facility in Germany.

The Boise man was detained for compromising national security, presumably because of Christian proselytizing.

He was sentenced in 2013 to eight years in prison.

Los Angeles Times