Exclusive; It May Take Several Weeks for Dual Nationals to Rejoin Their Families

The strategic communications coordinator of the National Security Council at the White House welcomed the release of dual nationals imprisoned by the Islamic Republic and the "beginning of their freedom process," stating to VOA that it is likely these individuals will join their families within the next few weeks. John Kirby, in response to a question from VOA's Persian section about when Iranian-American prisoners would return home to the U.S., said, "We don’t exactly know how long it will take to bring them home, and until they arrive home and this negotiation reaches a complete conclusion, we will speak cautiously." He added, "It is good that they have left Evin Prison, which has unbearable and brutal conditions, but they are still under house arrest; meaning that although they have left prison, they have not left Iran." Kirby continued, "We will monitor their health and status as much as we can, and we will continue negotiations with the Iranians to bring them back home and to their families safely. How long will it take? It is difficult to say; we think a few weeks, but we are talking about Iran, so we will move forward pragmatically." This senior media official of the National Security Council, in response to another question about what costs the Biden administration has paid for the release of these individuals or whether a prisoner exchange has taken place, said, "I do not intend to go into details. This is an ongoing negotiation that has not fully concluded, and I do not think it would be wise or responsible to make details public at this time, while these individuals have just come out of prison but are still in Iran and still at risk." Earlier, Adrienne Watson, spokesperson for the National Security Council, also described the transfer of five Iranian-American prisoners from Evin Prison to house arrest as a hopeful step. She mentioned the names Siamak Namazi, Morad Tahbaz, and Emad Sharqi, stating that two other Americans who should not have been detained prefer to remain anonymous for now, and the U.S. is working to bring all these individuals home. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken also emphasized that the Islamic Republic will not receive any "relief from sanctions" in exchange for the release of the five dual nationals.