Out of Iran, Sarah Shourd will try to free fiance, friend
TEHRAN, Iran - In just a few dizzying hours, American Sarah Shourd exchanged a cell in Tehran's Evin Prison for a private jet crossing the Persian Gulf, after an apparent diplomatic deal to cover a $500,000 bail and secure a release that seemed in jeopardy from the start.
TEHRAN, Iran - In just a few dizzying hours, American Sarah Shourd exchanged a cell in Tehran's Evin Prison for a private jet crossing the Persian Gulf, after an apparent diplomatic deal to cover a $500,000 bail and secure a release that seemed in jeopardy from the start.
Shourd was met yesterday by her mother and U.S. diplomats at a royal airfield in the capital of Oman, which U.S. officials say played a critical role in organizing the bail payment and assuring it did not violate American economic sanctions on Iran.
Shourd stepped off the private Omani jet and into the arms of her mother in their first embrace since a brief visit in May overseen by Iranian authorities - and her first day of freedom in more than 13 months.
"I'm grateful and I'm very humbled by this moment," Shourd said before boarding the plane in Tehran for the two-hour flight to Oman.
The whirlwind departure of Shourd, 32, brought little change for two other Americans - her fiance, Shane Bauer, and Josh Fattal - who remained behind bars while authorities moved toward possible trials on spy charges that could bring up to 10 years in prison.
The three were detained along the Iraq border in July 2009. Their families insist that they were innocent hikers in the scenic mountains of Iraq's Kurdish region and that if they did stray across the border into Iran, they did so unwittingly.
"All of our families are relieved and overjoyed that Sarah has at last been released, but we're also heartbroken that Shane and Josh are still being denied their freedom for no just cause. . . . They deserve to come home, too," said a statement by the three families.
Iran, however, has shown no hints of clemency for the two 28-year-old men. Indictments on espionage-related charges have been filed.
Upon arrival in Oman, Shourd also thanked the sultan for his help and said she would turn her efforts to trying to win the release of her companions. Her immediate travel plans were unclear. A U.S. official said she would be in Oman for at least a day.
Shourd, who grew up in Los Angeles; Bauer, who grew up in Onamia, Minn.; and Fattal, who grew up in Elkins Park, Pa., were imprisoned in July 2009.
A U.S. official said neither the U.S. government nor the families of the hikers put up the money, but could not say who else might have paid it.
All signs pointed to Oman - an ally of both the West and Iran - which played a critical, behind-the-scenes role, working with Iran's judiciary and Swiss diplomats who handle U.S. affairs in Iran.
