White House: The Return of American Prisoners in Iran is a Priority for the Obama Administration

On Friday, July 26, the White House spokesperson emphasized that Washington is strongly working to facilitate the release of American prisoners in Iran, and John Kerry has stated that he is 'very, very' hopeful that Iran will release American citizens. Josh Earnest, the White House spokesperson, stated in his remarks on Friday that Kerry's expression of hope today reflects the high priority that Barack Obama places on the return of American prisoners. Prior to the White House spokesperson's remarks, John Kerry, the U.S. Secretary of State, mentioned that during the final round of nuclear negotiations in Vienna, he raised the issue of detained Americans with his Iranian counterpart, Mohammad Javad Zarif, and hopes they will be released soon. Kerry defended the U.S. State Department's actions for the release of Iranian-American citizens imprisoned in Iran in an interview with MSNBC, saying, 'There was no meeting (between Iran and the U.S.), not even one session, believe me, I'm not exaggerating, where we did not raise the issue of detained American citizens (in Iran).' The final round of nuclear negotiations in Vienna between Iran and six world powers began on June 27 and ultimately resulted in an agreement on Tuesday, July 14. Kerry emphasized that even when he was about to announce the nuclear agreement with Zarif, he once again raised the issue of detained American citizens in Iran with him. He added, 'We remain very, very hopeful that the Iranian government will make the right decision and allow these citizens to return to America.' Jason Rezaian, a journalist for the Associated Press, Amir Hekmati, and Saeed Abedini are Iranian-American citizens detained in Iran. Jason Rezaian, born in Marin County, California, was arrested on July 31 last year along with his wife, Yeganeh Salehi, and another individual whose name has never been mentioned. However, Ms. Salehi was later released on bail. Barack Obama, the President of the United States, called for the release of Jason Rezaian, Amir Hekmati, and Saeed Abedini in April of this year. He also asked Iran to assist in efforts to locate Robert Levinson. In this context, members of the U.S. House of Representatives unanimously passed a resolution on June 27 this year calling for the release of the three American prisoners in Iran. This resolution, which was passed with 391 votes in favor and no opposition, also requested the Islamic Republic to cooperate with the U.S. government in locating Robert Levinson, another American who disappeared in Iran about eight years ago.