(CNN) Three Americans freed in a prisoner swap with Iran are one step closer to reuniting with their families.
Washington Post journalist Jason Rezaian, Marine veteran Amir Hekmati and Christian pastor Saeed Abedini arrived in Germany Sunday and will meet with their families soon, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Twitter.
The three arrived on a flight at Ramstein Air Base and were scheduled to undergo medical checkups at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, a U.S. military hospital.
Earlier Sunday, the group made a stop in Switzerland. A U.S. State Department envoy posted a photo that appeared to show Rezaian standing on a tarmac outside a plane there.
"Thrilled to see #JasonRezaian land safely in #Geneva tonight after 18 months of unjust imprisonment in Iran," the State Department's Brett McGurk said on Twitter.
The fourth prisoner released in the swap, identified by U.S. officials as Nosratollah Khosravi-Roodsari, decided not to leave Iran, senior White House officials said. "It's his free determination" whether he wants to stay in Iran, one official said. "We don't make that judgment."
White House officials said earlier Sunday that recently detained student Matthew Trevithick also was released -- but not as part of the prisoner swap -- and had left Iran. There were no additional details.
The five Americans had been detained in separate cases, some as early as 2011.
Return eagerly awaited
The Washington Post's executive editor and foreign editor told CNN that they were in Germany to meet with Rezaian.
"I'm relieved, but I'm also elated. I remember the morning a year and a half ago when a scratchy cell phone call told me Jason and his wife had been taken from their apartment the night before," said Doug Jehl, the newspaper's foreign editor. "We never could have believed that this nightmare would go on for so long, but I'm just overjoyed that it's about to be over."
In a memo to the newspaper's staff, the editors said they spoke with Rezaian on the phone Sunday night while he was at the hospital next-door. Asked how he was doing, according to the memo, Rezaian said, "I'm a hell of a lot better than I was 48 hours ago."
An 11th-hour disagreement over whether Rezaian's mother was on board the flight delayed the plane's departure, a U.S. official said, but Secretary of State John Kerry said in an interview with The Washington Post that Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif assigned four people to help resolve the dispute.
Naghmeh Abedini, the pastor's wife, said on Twitter that she was hoping to talk with her husband in a few hours. In the meantime, she spoke on the phone with President Barack Obama.
Iranian, dual citizens freed in U.S.
In exchange for the American prisoners' freedom, the United States pardoned or commuted the sentences of an Iranian and six dual citizens of the United States and Iran in what Obama called a "one-time gesture."
The men allegedly had been involved in exporting products and services to Iran in violation of trade sanctions against the country. They were accused of exporting goods ranging from electronic components and satellite services to marine navigation and military equipment to Iran.
Khosrow Afghahi, Tooraj Faridi, Bahram Mechanic and Nima Golestaneh were pardoned. Nader Modanlo, Arash Ghahreman and Ali Saboonchi had their sentences commuted, the U.S. Justice Department said.
Obama praised the "tireless" effort that went into the prisoner exchange, which comes a day after international inspectors concluded Tehran was in compliance with the deal governing its nuclear program. Iranian officials and U.S. administration officials confirmed the news Saturday. As a result, some international economic sanctions against Iran were lifted.
Americans detained abroad
Kim Dong Chul, a South Korean-born American citizen detained in North Korea, is escorted to his trial April 29 in Pyongyang. A North Korean court sentenced Kim to 10 years in prison for what it called acts of subversion and espionage. North Korea watchers interpret the detainment of Americans and other foreign citizens as a collection of bargaining chips by the reclusive regime.
University of Virginia student Otto Frederick Warmbier was detained by North Korea after being accused of carrying out "a hostile act" against the government, state media reported. In March, he was sentenced to 15 years of hard labor for allegedly removing a political banner from a Pyongyang hotel.
Jason Rezaian, The Washington Post's bureau chief in Tehran,
was released January 16 as part of a prisoner swap. Rezaian
was convicted by an Iranian Revolutionary Court in October, according to Iran's state-run media. Rezaian was reportedly facing up to 20 years, but the sentence was not specified. The journalist was taken into custody in July 2014 and later charged with espionage; the Post has denied all allegations against him. His wife, Yeganeh Salehi, also was detained in July 2014 but later released.
Saeed Abedini, a U.S. citizen of Iranian birth, was
freed as part of a prisoner swap that included Washington Post journalist
Jason Rezaian on January 16. Abedini was
sentenced to eight years in prison in January 2013. He was accused of attempting to undermine the Iranian government and endangering national security by establishing home churches. He was detained in Iran on September 26, 2012, according to the American Center for Law and Justice.
Amir Hekmati, a former U.S. Marine charged with spying, was
freed as part of a prisoner swap that included Washington Post journalist
Jason Rezaian on January 16. An Iranian court threw out a 2011 death sentence for
Hekmati, but he was secretly retried in Iran and convicted of "practical collaboration with the U.S. government," his sister told CNN on April 11. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison, she said. Hekmati was detained in August 2011 during a visit to see his grandmother. His family and the Obama administration deny accusations he was spying for the CIA.
Siamak Namazi, a Dubai-based businessman with dual U.S. and Iranian citizenship, was
detained while visiting relatives in Tehran, the Wall Street Journal reported October 29, citing unnamed sources. The Washington Post also reported his detention, citing a family friend who spoke on condition of anonymity. The Post reported that it wasn't clear what Namazi is alleged to have done. His detention would bring to five the number of Americans detained or unaccounted for in the Islamic republic.
Scott Darden was
taken hostage by Houthi rebels in Yemen in March 2015. He was captured while working for New Orleans-based Transoceanic Development, according to a source close to his family.
Retired FBI agent Robert Levinson
has been missing since 2007. His family says he was working as a private investigator in Iran when he disappeared, and multiple reports suggest Levinson may have been working for the CIA. His family told CNN that they have long known that Levinson worked for the CIA, and they said it's time for the government to lay out the facts about Levinson's case. U.S. officials have consistently denied publicly that Levinson was working for the government, but they have repeatedly insisted that finding him and bringing him home is a "top" priority.
The FBI increased its reward for information on Levinson from $1 million to $5 million.
Mothers Linda Boyle, left, and Lyn Coleman hold photo of their married children, Joshua Boyle and Caitlin Coleman, who were kidnapped by the Taliban in late 2012. Coleman was pregnant when she was kidnapped and is believed to have had a child in captivity.
Jailed since 2013 and sentenced to life for supporting the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, Mohamed Soltan
was eventually released, the U.S. Embassy in Cairo said in May 2015. Soltan's family denies he belonged to the Brotherhood. Soltan had been a dual U.S. and Egyptian citizen, but he renounced his Egyptian citizenship as a condition of his release.
One of three Americans detained in North Korea, Jeffrey Edward Fowle was released and sent home, a State Department official told CNN in October 2014. Fowle was accused of leaving a Bible in a hotel where he was staying. North Korea announced Fowle's detention in June of that year, saying he had violated the law by acting "contrary to the purpose of tourism." Fowle told CNN: "I've admitted my guilt to the government and signed a statement to that effect and requested forgiveness from the people and the government of the DPRK."
In May 2013, a North Korean court sentenced Kenneth Bae, a U.S. citizen, to 15 years of hard labor for committing "hostile acts" against the state. North Korea claimed Bae was part of a Christian plot to overthrow the regime. In a short interview with CNN in September 2014, Bae said he is working eight hours a day, six days a week at a labor camp. "Right now what I can say to my friends and family is, continue to pray for me," he said. After months in detention, he and fellow American detainee Matthew Todd Miller were
released in November.
Miller, an American sentenced to six years of hard labor in North Korea, was one of three Americans who spoke to CNN's Will Ripley in September 2014 and implored the U.S. government for help. The 24-year-old was accused of tearing up his tourist visa and seeking asylum upon entry to North Korea.
American journalist Peter Theo Curtis was
handed over to U.N. peacekeepers in August 2014 after nearly two years in captivity. He is believed to have been captured in October 2012 and held by the al-Nusra Front, a Syrian rebel group with ties to al Qaeda.
Alan Gross, at right with Rabbi Arthur Schneier, was jailed while working as a subcontractor in Cuba in December 2009. Cuban authorities say Gross tried to set up illegal Internet connections on the island. Gross says he was just trying to help connect the Jewish community to the Internet. Former President Jimmy Carter and New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson both traveled to Cuba on Gross' behalf. He was eventually
released in December.
This undated image provided by the U.S. Army shows Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, who had been held by insurgents in Afghanistan since 2009. The White House
announced Bergdahl's release on May 31, 2014. Bergdahl was released in exchange for five senior Taliban members held by the U.S. military. In March 2015,
the U.S. military charged Bergdahl with one count each of "Desertion with Intent to Shirk Important or Hazardous Duty," and "Misbehavior Before The Enemy by Endangering the Safety of a Command, Unit or Place."
U.S. tourist and Korean War veteran Merrill Newman arrives at the Beijing airport on December 7, 2013, after being released by North Korea. Newman was
detained in October 2013 by North Korean authorities just minutes before he was to depart the country after visiting through an organized tour. His son Jeff Newman said the Palo Alto, California, man had all the proper paperwork and set up his trip through a North Korean-approved travel agency.
Mexican authorities arrested Yanira Maldonado, a U.S. citizen, right, in May 2013, for alleged drug possession. She and her husband, Gary, were traveling from Mexico back to the United States when their bus was stopped and searched. She was released a few days later and is now back in the United States.
North Korea has arrested Americans before, only to release them after a visit by a prominent dignitary. Journalists Laura Ling, center, and Euna Lee, to her left, spent 140 days in captivity after being charged with illegal entry to conduct a smear campaign. They were
freed in 2009 after a trip by former President Bill Clinton.
Former President Jimmy Carter
negotiated the release of Aijalon Gomes, who was detained in 2010 after crossing into North Korea illegally from China. Analysts say high-level visits give Pyongyang a propaganda boost and a way to save face when it releases a prisoner.
Detained in April 2011, Eddie Yong Su Jun
was released by North Korea a month afterward. His alleged crime was not provided to the media. The American delegation that
secured his freedom included Robert King, the U.S. special envoy for North Korean human rights issues.
Without any apparent U.S. intervention, Robert Park was released by North Korea in 2010. The Christian missionary crossed into North Korea from China, carrying a letter asking Kim Jong Il to free political prisoners and resign. North Korea's state-run news agency said
Park was released after an "admission and sincere repentance of his wrongdoings." Here, Park holds a photo of Kim and a malnourished child during a protest in Seoul.
Josh Fattal, center; Sarah Shourd, left; and Shane Bauer were detained by Iran while hiking near the Iraq-Iran border in July 2009. Iran charged them with illegal entry and espionage. Shourd was released on bail for medical reasons in September 2010; she never returned to face her charges. Bauer and Fattal were convicted in August 2011, but the next month they were
released on bail and had their sentences commuted.
Haleh Esfandiari, an Iranian-American scholar, was detained at Iran's Evin Prison, spending months in solitary confinement before
Iran released her on bail in August 2007. Esfandiari was visiting her ailing mother in Tehran when she was arrested and charged with harming Iran's national security.
Sixteen Americans were among the dozens arrested in December 2011 when Egypt raided the offices of 10 nongovernmental organizations that it said received illegal foreign financing and were operating without a public license. Many of the employees posted bail and left the country after a travel ban was lifted a few months later. Robert Becker, right,
chose to stay and stand trial. He spent two years in prison and has since returned to the United States.
Filmmaker Timothy Tracy
was arrested in Venezuela in April 2013 on allegations of funding opponents of newly elected President Nicolas Maduro, successor to the late Hugo Chavez. Tracy went to Venezuela to make a documentary about the political division gripping the country. He was released in June 2013.
The deal came after more than a year of secret negotiations, the officials said. The nuclear agreement "accelerated" the prisoner swap, Kerry said.
Iran prisoner swap: 14 months of secret diplomacy
The United States also agreed to drop charges against 14 other Iranians whose extradition to the United States seemed unlikely, a U.S. official said.
Who are Iranian prisoners released in swap?
Congressmen to meet freed prisoners
Two congressmen were headed to Germany to greet Rezaian and Hekmati.
"I am thrilled and relieved that Jason and these other Americans are no longer in prison," said Jared Huffman, who represents Rezaian and has been involved in his case.
Huffman said the freed prisoners won't be on U.S. soil for a few days, he said.
Rep. Dan Kildee, D-Michigan, said Hekmati's father had fallen ill in the more than four years that his son has been detained. There is hope "that having Amir back gives him some strength."
He said family members were feeling "tempered jubilation" while they waited to find out if Hekmati was really released, because they've gotten their hopes up in the past.
"Until he was out of Iran, until I got a call from the White House today saying the plane has crossed Iranian border, he is out of Iran, we all took a deep breath. Because it all became real," the congressman told CNN.
In a statement, Kildee addressed Hekmati, saying, "Amir, I cannot wait to meet you for the first time, give you a big hug, and welcome you home."
Robert Levinson's fate unknown
Trevithick's release was not part of the prisoner swap, but U.S. officials did "indicate to Foreign Minister Zarif that it'd be important for them to try to resolve some of the other cases of Americans detained in the context of this 'deal,'" a senior administration official told CNN.
During negotiations, another American's name was apparently on the table: Robert Levinson.
Iran has denied holding Levinson, a former FBI agent and CIA contractor who went missing there in 2007.
Now the agreement between the United States and Iran calls for Iranian officials to "continue cooperating with the United States to determine the whereabouts of Robert Levinson," a U.S. official said.
Kerry said Sunday that Iran had agreed to deepen coordination in the search.
"We are happy for the other families," Levinson's family said in a statement. "But once again, Bob Levinson has been left behind. We are devastated."
Details on detained, missing Americans
CNN's Sara Ganim, Chris Frates, Adam Levine, Kevin Bohn, Jim Acosta, Brian Stelter, Allison Brennan, Daniel Burke, Laura Koran, Laurie Ure, Jason Hanna, Sara Mazloumsaki, Josh Gaynor, Jim Sciutto and Catherine E. Shoichet contributed to this report.