Another American Released Among Freed Prisoners in Iran

Hours after the news of the release of four Iranian-American citizens in Iran in exchange for seven Iranian prisoners in the U.S., news agencies reported that another American was freed on Saturday, the 26th, by the Iranian judiciary. According to reports, this American is a student named Matthew Troytik, whose arrest date in Iran is unclear, and his release is not part of the Iranian-American prisoner exchange agreement. Additional reports indicate that Matthew Troytik's family stated that this American student was in Iran to learn Persian at an institute affiliated with the University of Tehran. In the U.S., seven Iranians, six of whom also hold American citizenship, have been released, most of whom faced charges related to violating Iran sanctions, and the prosecution of another Iranian-American named Matin Sadeghi, who was also under investigation for the same charges, has been dropped. Reuters reported that according to court documents and statements from people familiar with the matter, three of these prisoners, named Bahram Mekanik, Touraj Faridi, and Khosrow Afghahi, were released under a pardon from President Barack Obama, although the White House has not commented quickly on this matter. In the U.S., Paul Ryan, the Republican Speaker of the House, expressed happiness over the release of the citizens of this country in Iran while emphasizing that the released individuals were imprisoned 'unjustly.' A spokesperson for Mr. Ryan stated that first and foremost, these citizens should not have been imprisoned, and we are waiting for details from the government on what deal was made for their release. At the same time, according to Reuters, Donald Trump, the leading Republican candidate, stated that he is happy about the release of Americans but that 'a scandal will remain for the Obama administration in this regard.' He noted that in exchange for the release of four individuals, 'the U.S. gave Iran $150 billion and seven prisoners.' Marco Rubio, another Republican candidate, stated that 'Iran must help clarify the fate of Robert Levinson, and such hostage-taking must stop.' Meanwhile, Reuters reported, citing an American official, that the freed individuals in Iran will be transferred to Switzerland on a Swiss Airlines plane, and then they will be taken to a U.S. military base in Germany for medical examinations. Regarding the prisoner exchange process and Switzerland's role in this matter, Iran's permanent representative to the United Nations told Iranian state television that negotiations for the prisoner exchange took a year. Gholamali Khoshroo, in a phone call with the news section of Iran's Channel One on Saturday night, added that the two countries had taken actions based on 'humanitarian considerations' to resolve this issue long ago. This senior Iranian diplomat present at the UN headquarters added that in the past, senior U.S. officials had requested assistance from senior Iranian officials, and 'Switzerland also played a positive role in facilitating the negotiations.' Switzerland has acted as the protector of U.S. interests in Iran since the severance of relations between Iran and the U.S. in 1979.