Five Americans return to U.S. soil after being wrongfully detained in Iran
FORT BELVOIR, Virg. (NBC, KYMA/KECY) - The five Americans who were freed after being wrongfully imprisoned in Iran for years arrived back on U.S. soil Tuesday.
It was an emotional scene on the tarmac as Siamak Namazi, Emad Shargi and Morad Tahbaz reunited with family and friends.
They were met with cheers, hugging and crying after landing at a military airfield near Washington, D.C., just before 5:30am Eastern Time.
The group were freed as part of a prisoner exchange agreement that allowed tehran to access $6 billion in oil revenues frozen under U.S. sanctions, and also saw five Iranian nationals released from U.S. custody.
Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs Roger Carstens, who was present during Tuesday's tearful reunion, welcomed the Americans back home, with Carstens saying, "We've all looked forward to this day."
"Enjoy your reunion. Go through the Army's program on post-isolation support, maintain that connectivity. Let's stay in touch. This is not goodbye and I know a lot of you are going to maintain the fight to try to bring more Americans home," Carstens added.
