Iranian authorities tried to prevent the Iranian wife of Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian from leaving the country with him, his brother Ali Rezaian told CNN.
Rezaian and four other Iranian-Americans were released in a prisoner swap over the weekend. Iran announced their release on January 16 on the same day as international sanctions on Tehran were lifted.
"The Iranians, as they have done all along, continued to manipulate them, continued to try and mess with them, and prevented [Rezaian's wife] from leaving for some period of time," Ali Rezaian said.
He added that "the U.S. stuck to its guns” and that Rezaian’s wife left with him.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on January 17 that a delay in the departure of the plane taking some of the prisoners from Iran was partly due to a "temporary misunderstanding" about whether Rezaian's mother and his wife were on the plane, as agreed.
Rezaian and two other freed Americans arrived in Germany on January 17, where they were undergoing medical evaluations.
“I want people to know that physically I'm feeling good," The Washington Post quoted Rezaian as saying.
Under the prisoner swap deal, the United States on January 16 offered clemency to seven Iranians, six of whom are dual U.S.-Iranian citizens, who had been convicted or are pending trial in the United States.
The prisoner swap took place after 14 months of confidential discussions in Switzerland.