Obama on Iran prisoners freed: 'This is a good day' The president stresses the importance of diplomacy.

President Barack Obama on Sunday hailed the fruits of diplomacy emerging from the long negotiations with Iran to end its development of nuclear weapons.

“This is a good day,” he said in a short appearance in the White House Cabinet Room.


Negotiating with Iran over its nuclear program had put the U.S. in a better position to secure the release of American sailors who “accidentally” strayed into Iranian waters last week and “several Americans unjustly detained,” Obama said. Those included Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian.

The released prisoners were flown first to Switzerland and then to Germany. They were to be taken to a U.S. military hospital for an indefinite time.

The Iranians released or granted clemency by the U.S. in exchange were civilians who were never charged with terrorism or any violent offenses, Obama said, pushing back on the claims made by some Republican candidates battling to to succeed him.

“From presidents Franklin Roosevelt to John F. Kennedy to Ronald Reagan, the United States has never been afraid to pursue diplomacy with our adversaries,” the president said. “Engaging directly with the Iranian government on a sustained basis for the first time in decades has created a unique opportunity, a window.”

Additionally, Iran has “agreed to deepen our coordination to locate” Robert Levinson, an American private investigator who went missing in Iran in 2007.

Obama was criticized when the nuclear deal was unveiled that there was no mention of the Americans still being held by Iran. On Sunday, he said diplomats were pushing for their release “on the sidelines” of the nuclear negotiations, with efforts accelerating after the accord. And Obama said he personally brought up the issue in a conversation with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani.

In addition to freeing the detainees in Iran and confirming its compliance with the nuclear deal, a third breakthrough Obama cited was the resolution of a decades-old financial dispute between the U.S. and Iranian governments. Settling the claim from 1981 means the U.S. will return funds to Iran with interest, but less than Iran sought, and saving the U.S. billions that Iran could otherwise have pursued, he said.

The claim arose from a $400 million trust fund Iran used to buy military equipment from the U.S. before the countries broke ties, the State Department said in a followup statement. Iran will receive the balance of the $400 million, plus a compromise of $1.3 billion in interest, the statement from Secretary of State John Kerry said, preventing Iran from squeezing more out of U.S. taxpayers.

(All 4,700 of the private U.S. claims against Iran were already resolved, resulting in payments totaling $2.5 billion, and the State Department said it’s still working on outstanding Iranian claims against the U.S.)

“These things are a reminder of what we can achieve when we lead with strength and with wisdom, with courage and resolve and patience,” Obama said.

Obama also spoke directly to the Iranian people, praising their history and culture while blaming their government’s policies for the country’s international isolation. He called on young Iranians to pursue “a new path.”

Still, Obama stressed that the two countries remain at odds over Iran’s threats against Israel, support for terrorism, human rights violations and ballistic-missile program.

Obama said the U.S. would punish individuals and companies involved. And the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control announced sanctions against 11 Iranian entities and individuals.

Later in the day, the president spoke to Ali Rezaian, brother of the newly released hostage. "The president expressed his concern for Jason's well-being and speedy and thorough recovery," Ali Rezaian said afterward. "I thanked the president for his support of the efforts to release Jason and the other Americans held in Iran and for making it a priority for the U.S. government."