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☆ Inside the crucial final hours as American diplomats tackled last minute obstacles to bring five Americans imprisoned in Iran home
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-21 | by ( Jennifer Hansler | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Senior State Department officials spoke to CNN about what happened on the condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive details. The Iranians even threatened not to include all five of the Americans in the release unless the US did more, the officials told CNN. “We held our line and the Iranians backed down and we made it work,” a senior State Department official said. But the Qatari officials, in a smooth diplomatic maneuver, countered that they would be offended if everyone did not eat while on board the Qatari plane and an agonizing final delay was avoided. ET, the US plane carrying the seven Americans, Carstens, Paley and other US officials departed Doha en route to the US.

Persons: Iran Abram Paley, Hostage Affairs Roger Carstens, “, ”, didn’t, “ They’re, “ We’ve, “ couldn’t, Morad, Emad Shargi, Effie, Vida, Siamak, Karim Jaafar, Carstens, Paley, Antony Blinken, Blinken, Joe Biden, ” Shargi Organizations: CNN, Senior State Department, Hostage Affairs, Qatari, Swiss, State Department, Central Bank, Doha International Airport, Getty, Defense, “ CNN Locations: United States, Iran, Tehran, Doha, South Korea, Qatar, Emad Sharqi, AFP, Washington, DC, Fort Belvoir , Virginia, PISA, Fort Belvoir

☆ Iran prisoner release: Five Americans back on US soil after release from Iranian detention
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-19 | by ( Jennifer Hansler | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Five Americans freed from Iranian detention this week returned to US soil early Tuesday following an initial stop in Doha, Qatar, two US officials told CNN. Yay Abram!”Then the freed American detainees stepped off the plane and onto US soil for the first time in more than five years and into the arms of their loved ones, some of whom rushed forward to greet them, carrying small American flags. “We’re home,” Emad Shargi said after embracing his daughters, Hannah and Ariana, and stroking his wife Bahareh’s face. And I know a lot of you are going to maintain the fight to try to bring more Americans home,” he said. Namazi’s mother, Effie Namazi, and Tahbaz’s wife, Vida Tahbaz, who had been previously unable to leave Iran, were also on the flight from Iran to Doha, the official said Monday.

Persons: Emad, Morad, Siamak, Hostage Affairs Roger Carstens, Iran Abram Paley, “, Roger ! Yay Abram, ”, Emad Shargi, Hannah, Ariana, Bahareh’s, other’s, Carstens, Effie Namazi, Vida Tahbaz, Joe Biden, Biden Organizations: CNN — Five, CNN, Fort Belvoir’s Davison Army, Department of Defense, Hostage Affairs, Qatari, Washington, Monday, Biden Locations: Doha, Qatar, Fort, PISA, United States, Iran, Tehran, DC, American

WASHINGTON, July 1 (Reuters) - A powerful Republican in the U.S. House of Representatives has asked Secretary of State Antony Blinken for details about an investigation into the security clearance of the U.S. envoy for Iran, amid reports he may have mishandled classified documents. Citing media reports, Michael McCaul, chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, wrote to Blinken on Friday, asking why the State Department's special envoy for Iran, Rob Malley, was placed on unpaid leave after his security clearance was suspended earlier this year to investigate the alleged mishandling of classified documents. "Given the gravity of the situation, it is imperative that the Department expeditiously provide a full and transparent accounting of the circumstances surrounding Special Envoy Malley's clearance suspension and investigation and the Department's statements to Congress regarding Special Envoy Malley," McCaul wrote Blinken in a letter posted on the panel's website. On Thursday, Malley told Reuters: "I have been informed that my security clearance is under review. Appointed soon after Democratic President Joe Biden took office in 2021, Malley had the task of trying to revive the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.

Persons: Antony Blinken, Michael McCaul, Blinken, Rob Malley, Malley, McCaul, Joe Biden, Donald Trump's, Iran Abram Paley, Brett McGurk, Valerie Volcovici, Arshad Mohammed, William Mallard Organizations: Republican, U.S . House, U.S, Foreign Affairs, State, State Department, Reuters, Democratic, reimposed, Iranian, National Security, Thomson Locations: U.S, Iran, reimposed U.S, Tehran, United States, East, North, Washington, Saint Paul , Minnesota

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