While the Obama administration continued to tout the Iranian nuclear deal Wednesday, the wife of one hostage is critiquing the deal as it fails to bring home the four U.S. citizens being held hostage by Iran.
Reacting to President Barack Obama’s press conference, Nagmeh Abedini, the wife of Saeed Abedini, said the deal struck Tuesday by Iran, the U.S. and American allies makes it “more difficult” for the safe return of her husband.
“Well, I am one of the families that he did meet with in January of this year, and I saw sincerity and concern when we did meet,” Abedini told CNN’s Pamela Brown. “He got to meet my two kids, that he would try everything to bring Saeed and the other Americans out. He promised me that. He said he did it with the Cuban prisoner and he would do it for my husband.”
“I think the nuclear deal would make it more difficult,” Abedini argued. “I’ve never asked for Saeed to be part of the deal, but I’ve hoped that on sidelines, as discussed before, that he would — that his release would be secure as we still have some leverage with the Iranian government, and that has been my hope that his release would have been secured even on the sideline.”
Saeed Abedini, a pastor who was imprisoned by the Iranians is currently one of four Americans being held. Among the others, notably, is Jason Rezaian, who serves as the Tehran bureau chief for The Washington Post and is being held on false espionage charges, according to his brother, Ali.
“Jason is completely innocent of all charges and it is inhumane for him to still be held behind bars after nearly a year,” Ali Rezaian said Tuesday. “We are hopeful that with the agreement now in place the Iranian courts will conclude this process swiftly and affirm Jason’s innocence so we can bring him home and make our family whole again.”
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