© 2026 ABC News

Salehi, along with Jason's mother Mary Rezaian, had been tireless advocates for his release.

It was enormous relief for the Rezaian family. \"I'm just happy to have my brother home,\" Ali Rezaian, Jason's brother, told “Good Morning America” today.

Get real-time updates as this story unfolds. To start, just \"star\" this story in ABC News' phone app. Download ABC News for iPhone here or ABC News for Android here.

","canonicalUrl":"https://abcnews.com/International/iran-prisoner-swap-inside-frantic-final-moments/story?id=36361000","legacySlug":"/news/story/iran-prisoner-swap-inside-frantic-final-moments-36361000","noIndexNoFollow":false},"publishTime":"20:57","publishDate":"01-18-2016","updatedTime":"19:28","updatedDate":"01-19-2016","socialImage":{"alt":"Jason Rezaian, right, an Iranian-American correspondent for the Washington Post, and his wife Yeganeh Salehi, an Iranian correspondent for the Abu Dhabi-based daily newspaper, The National, smile as they attend a presidential campaign of President Hassan Rouhani in Tehran, Iran, April 11, 2013. ","credit":"Vahid Salemi/AP Photo","ratio":"16x9","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/International/AP_Jason_Rezaian_wife_floating_cf_160118_16x9_1600.jpg","width":992,"height":558},"datePublished":"1/18/2016 20:57:00 GMT","video":{"live":false,"id":36361000,"headline":"The Iran Prisoner Swap’s Frantic Final Moments","mediaAssetTitle":"IRAN_EXCHANGE_ALMOST_FELL_APART_20160118","description":"New details are emerging about the tense moments before the American left Iran.","duration":"2:14","posterImg":{"url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/default-img-undefined.png","width":608,"height":342},"video":{"feed":"https://service-pkgabcnews.akamaized.net/opp/hls/abcnews/2016/01/160118_wn_karl1_637_,500,800,1200,1800,2500,3200,4500,.mp4.csmil/playlist.m3u8"},"playlist":["137841142","137841141","137803591"]},"relatedItems":[{"contentType":"video","date":"November 4, 2026","headline":"Alaska still too early to call","section":"News","slug":"/video/137841142","id":"137841142","image":{"alt":"VIDEO: Alaska still too early to call","credit":"ABCNews.com","ratio":"1x1","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/261104_gma_ault_alsaka_734_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","width":384,"height":384},"images":{"alt":"VIDEO: Alaska still too early to call","credit":"ABCNews.com","crops":[{"16x9":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/261104_gma_ault_alsaka_734_hpMain_16x9_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/261104_gma_ault_alsaka_734_hpMain_16x9_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/261104_gma_ault_alsaka_734_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"9x16":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/261104_gma_ault_alsaka_734_hpMain_9x16_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/261104_gma_ault_alsaka_734_hpMain_9x16_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/261104_gma_ault_alsaka_734_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"1x1":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/261104_gma_ault_alsaka_734_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/261104_gma_ault_alsaka_734_hpMain_1x1_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/261104_gma_ault_alsaka_734_hpMain_1x1_1600.jpg"}}]}},{"contentType":"video","date":"November 4, 2026","headline":"History made in Kansas Senate race","section":"News","slug":"/video/137841141","id":"137841141","image":{"alt":"VIDEO: History made in Kansas Senate race","credit":"ABCNews.com","ratio":"1x1","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/261104_gma_ramos_kansas_733_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","width":384,"height":384},"images":{"alt":"VIDEO: History made in Kansas Senate race","credit":"ABCNews.com","crops":[{"16x9":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/261104_gma_ramos_kansas_733_hpMain_16x9_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/261104_gma_ramos_kansas_733_hpMain_16x9_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/261104_gma_ramos_kansas_733_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"9x16":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/261104_gma_ramos_kansas_733_hpMain_9x16_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/261104_gma_ramos_kansas_733_hpMain_9x16_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/261104_gma_ramos_kansas_733_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"1x1":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/261104_gma_ramos_kansas_733_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/261104_gma_ramos_kansas_733_hpMain_1x1_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/261104_gma_ramos_kansas_733_hpMain_1x1_1600.jpg"}}]}},{"contentType":"video","date":"November 3, 2026","headline":"New states in play as record gas prices hit on Election Day","section":"News","slug":"/video/137803591","id":"137803591","image":{"alt":"VIDEO: New states in play as record gas prices hit on Election Day","credit":"ABCNews.com","ratio":"1x1","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/261103_gma_karl_jarvis_gas1_711_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","width":384,"height":384},"images":{"alt":"VIDEO: New states in play as record gas prices hit on Election Day","credit":"ABCNews.com","crops":[{"16x9":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/261103_gma_karl_jarvis_gas1_711_hpMain_16x9_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/261103_gma_karl_jarvis_gas1_711_hpMain_16x9_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/261103_gma_karl_jarvis_gas1_711_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"9x16":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/261103_gma_karl_jarvis_gas1_711_hpMain_9x16_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/261103_gma_karl_jarvis_gas1_711_hpMain_9x16_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/261103_gma_karl_jarvis_gas1_711_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"1x1":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/261103_gma_karl_jarvis_gas1_711_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/261103_gma_karl_jarvis_gas1_711_hpMain_1x1_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/261103_gma_karl_jarvis_gas1_711_hpMain_1x1_1600.jpg"}}]}}],"relatedContentSection":"news","schemaContent":{"name":"The Iran Prisoner Swap’s Frantic Final Moments","description":"New details are emerging about the tense moments before the American left Iran.","duration":"2:14","uploadDate":"01-18-2016","publication":"01-18-2016","images":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/default-img-undefined.png","url":"https://service-pkgabcnews.akamaized.net/opp/hls/abcnews/2016/01/160118_wn_karl1_637_,500,800,1200,1800,2500,3200,4500,.mp4.csmil/playlist.m3u8","contentUrl":"https://service-pkgabcnews.akamaized.net/opp/hls/abcnews/2016/01/160118_wn_karl1_637_,500,800,1200,1800,2500,3200,4500,.mp4.csmil/playlist.m3u8","link":"https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/news/story/iran-prisoner-swap-inside-frantic-final-moments-36361000"}},"playlist":[{"id":"137853814","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"137841842","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"137680927","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"137443017","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"137471181","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"136253720","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"137220313","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"137234817","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"137147457","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"137132187","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"136945841","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"136945748","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"136930796","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"136874802","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"136841854","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"136766868","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"136694294","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"136682772","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"136631130","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"136644492","contentType":"story","section":"news"}],"kvps":{"pgtyp":"article","lang":"en","sp":"goodmorningamerica","programmatic":"true","bundleId":"com.abcnews"}},"analytics":{"accountID":"wdgnewwdgnewgmaweb","ns":"gma","pageName":"gma:news:video","pageType":"video","globalSpecVersion":"v1.08","siteDifferentiator":"gma:site","tagID":"g_page01","userABCookie":"0","section":"news","title":"The Iran Prisoner Swap’s Frantic Final Moments","pubTime":"15:57","pubDate":"01-18-2016","modTime":"14:28","modDate":"01-19-2016","taxonomyTags":"none","id":36361000,"editorialOtherSubjects":"","wordCount":"none","columns":"none","authors":"","authorsUnit":"none","authorsBureau":"none","subBrand":"Good Morning America","provider":"Good Morning America","videoName":"The Iran Prisoner Swap’s Frantic Final Moments","mediaAssetTitle":"IRAN_EXCHANGE_ALMOST_FELL_APART_20160118","videoId":36361000,"mediaOnPage":"video","legacySlug":"/news/story/iran-prisoner-swap-inside-frantic-final-moments-36361000"},"taboola":{}},"request":{"headers":{},"httpVersion":"1.1","method":"GET","url":"/video/36361000","vary":{"host":"www.goodmorningamerica.com","cached":true,"path":"/video/36361000","forwarded-proto":"https","device":"desktop","userab":"0"}},"viewport":{"width":1260,"height":0},"user":{}};