Amir Hekmati, one of the Americans freed from Iran in a prisoner swap, said Tuesday he couldn't wait to return to his home in Michigan.
"I feel alive for the first time," the 32-year-old retired Marine told reporters outside a hospital in Germany, one day after an emotional reunion there with his family.
Even his final few moments in Iran were tense. Hekmati claimed nobody inside the Swiss government plane celebrated until it left Iranian airspace. Then, "champagne corks were popped."
He added, "I feel extremely blessed."
Hekmati, Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian and pastor Saeed Abedini arrived late Sunday at the U.S. military's Landstuhl Regional Medical Center for treatment. A fourth American released in exchange for the U.S. pardoning or dropping charges against seven Iranians opted to stay in Iran, and a fifth American was released separately….
