As President Obama touted a tentative deal that would lift sanctions on Iran in return for reducing its number of nuclear facilities, left unmentioned were the three American citizens currently held captive by the regime.
Jason Rezaian is a Washington Post correspondent who has been held without charges since July.
Saeed Abedini is an Idaho pastor who was sentenced to eight years for “disturbing national security” after his work with churches in the country.
Amir Hekmati is a Marine from Michigan who was sentenced for 10 years for “aiding a hostile country” — the U.S. — after visiting relatives in Iran.
“Now that Iran has sat at the table next to the United States, working diligently to come to an agreement for a nuclear program, we ask Iran if they still consider the United States a hostile country and if they do not, perhaps it is time they open the prison gates and allow the Red Cross to visit Amir without guard and report on the status of his well-being,” his family said, according to the New York Times.
U.S. officials say it and five other powers have come to an agreement with Iran, but it is not slated to be finalized until June.
The deal would reduce the extent to which Iran has been marginalized by Western powers in return for inspections to make sure it isn’t stockpiling uranium or building a nuclear weapon.
