Five American citizens tonight are on the final leg of their years-long journey to freedom. Just hours from now, prisoners who were wrongly detained inside Iran will arrive back in the US to Fort Belvoir, not far from where we are, here in the nation’s capital. It took months and months of secret diplomatic talks. And here is what we know about the high stakes deal. The US released six billion dollars of frozen Iranian oil funds and let five Iranians, who are facing charges for nonviolent crimes walk free. Republicans tonight are voicing concern about the money headed to Iran, a state sponsor of terrorism. Earlier today, we saw the Americans get their first taste of freedom in the years. The White House say President B had an emotional call with their families after they left Iran.

And these five American families will be reunited later tonight. President B called the family members and, as one said, for the first time in years there is light in their home. Joy and relief after the five Americans and two family members touched down in Qatar today and were handed over to US officials. Secretary of State A.B said he had an emotional conversation with the freed Americans. For fifty-year-old businessman S.A it is the end to an eight-year ordeal, according to his attorney. Iran detained environmentalist M.T in 2018, the same year businessman E.S was first arrested and held without trial in Iran’s notorious Evin Prison on what the US considers trumped-up espionage charges.