The five arrived aboard an executive jet at a military airfield in Fort Belvoir southwest of Washington.
Relatives waved US flags and hugged the freed prisoners as they disembarked from the aircraft, then posed for a group photograph, grinning widely.
“Welcome home,” National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan posted on X, formerly Twitter.
The former prisoners, including one held for eight years, were part of a rare prisoner exchange between Washington and Tehran, a deal that included the unfreezing of $6 billion in funds frozen by US ally South Korea.
The swap marked a slight thaw in relations between the two countries over a host of issues, including Iran’s advances in its nuclear program, although some observers urged caution in viewing the release as a sign of change.
The prisoners arrived on a flight from the Gulf state of Qatar, which helped facilitate the exchange, negotiated over several months. They will receive a medical checkup in the Washington area.
Iran, which does not recognize dual nationalities, is still holding a number of European nationals including Jamshid Sharmahd, a German citizen sentenced to death.
Read the article in The Australian (AFP).