The flight carrying five freed Americans from Iran after their detention has landed back on US soil, CNN reports.
The plane carrying the five freed Americans landed in the Washington, DC, area in the early hours of Tuesday morning.
The five freed Americans will now have the option to participate in a Department of Defense Program known as PISA (Post Isolation Support Activities) to help them acclimate back to normal life now that they are back in the United States, according to CNN.
The US State Department had declared the five Americans as wrongfully detained.
The Americans landed at Fort Belvoir’s Davison Army Airfield on Tuesday morning for an emotional reunion with their family members.
Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs Roger Carstens and Acting US special envoy for Iran Abram Paley descended the steps of the small plane first to cheers and applause, and someone be heard shouting, “Yay Roger! Yay Abram!”
Then the five freed American detainees, Siamak Namazi, Morad Tahbaz, and Emad Shargi 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,” Shargi said after embracing his daughters Hannah and Ariana and stroking his wife Bahareh’s face.
“How was the flight? Good?” his sister Neda Sharghi asked.
“Good, yeah, always good,” he said, and after a moment, added, “I can’t believe it.”
“I just can’t believe it. Too long. Five and a half years,” Emad said.
The family members then greeted each other’s returned loved ones – Bahareh hugging Siamak, Morad’s son hugging Emad.
In brief remarks following the reunions, Carstens said, “We’ve all looked forward to this day, but we all knew that this day was eventually going to come.”
“Surrounding you rather, we have a lot of people that represent the hundreds, if not thousands of people that have worked tirelessly to bring you all home over the last few years. One of them is the special envoy for Iran Abram Paley,” Carstens said.
“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,” he added.
Hushang Namazi said there’s no words to describe the feeling of seeing his nephew, Siamak Namazi, one of the five Americans freed from Iran Monday, to come down the plane and be back on US soil.
“The whole family went through a lot of ups and downs knowing what he’s going through in prison,” he said Tuesday morning.
“Then to finally see him come down the plane, I mean no words can describe it. Because really the whole family has been through hell, and praying for this moment. Finally it’s arrived.
We’re all so jubilant, that the moment has come.”
“There were so many occasions when we thought that he’s going to be released. And then our hopes were dashed. Finally we realized, no. There’s no point in being happy about the prospects of him being released until he’s really out of the air space of Iran. And this came about. And really it’s — for the whole family — it’s greatest news we could have ever expected,” he added.
He said he hasn’t yet spoken with his nephew since the freed American arrived after midnight. He added that Siamak is going to have a breakfast with his mother and other immediate family members for the first time in eight years.
“Can’t wait to hug him and the whole family, because his mother also was fantastic in saying, ‘I will not leave Iran until I’m accompanying my son.’ And she stayed firmly by his side and finally they were both able to get out,” he added.