2026年3月20日 / 美国东部时间下午5:54 / 哥伦比亚广播公司新闻
以下是与前伊朗被拘留者西亚马克·纳马齐（Siamak Namazi）和埃马德·沙尔吉（Emad Shargi）、哥伦比亚广播公司新闻评论员、前美国政府人质事务特使罗杰·卡斯滕斯（Roger Carstens）以及沙尔吉的妹妹内达·沙尔吉（Neda Sharghi）共同参与的小组讨论完整记录。部分讨论内容将于2026年3月22日在《面对国家》节目中播出。
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玛格丽特·布伦南：目前至少有四名美国人被伊朗拘留。其中两人——雷扎·瓦利扎德（Reza Valizadeh）和卡姆兰·赫克马蒂（Kamran Hekmati）——已被美国政府认定为非法拘留，据信被关押在伊朗臭名昭著的埃文监狱（Evin Prison）。我们现在邀请了两位有过在伊朗被非法拘留经历的人士：西亚马克·纳马齐和埃马德·沙尔吉。内达·沙尔吉是埃马德的妹妹，多年来一直为他的获释奔走，现在继续帮助其他被非法拘留者的家属。罗杰·卡斯滕斯是哥伦比亚广播公司新闻评论员，曾在拜登和特朗普第一届政府中担任美国政府人质事务特使。欢迎各位来到节目。看到你们两位坐在一起，感觉很不真实，毕竟我们追踪报道你们的案件已经很久了。我想先问一下当前情况。去年6月以色列对埃文监狱进行了轰炸，这是12天战争期间的事件。但在当前这场战争中，我们还没有听说类似行动，但上周日伊朗外长在《面对国家》节目中表示，只要美国和以色列不攻击他们的监狱，这些囚犯就会安全。他指的就是我们刚才提到的至少四名美国人。你们都经历过监狱内的生活，埃马德，你现在最担心的是那些美国人的什么？
埃马德·沙尔吉：谢谢你，玛格丽特，邀请我们参加节目。现在我们自由了，能坐在这里面对你，感觉很棒。我认为，每当伊朗发生什么事，埃文监狱的围墙就像一个放大器。外面社会上一点小风波，在监狱里就会掀起巨浪。2022年10月马哈萨·阿米尼（Mahsa Amini）抗议活动期间，我就在那里。监狱里的情况迅速恶化，从糟糕变得更糟，非常不舒服。我担心现在在那里的美国人的安全，他们不仅要面对看守的威胁，而且这个国家正在遭受轰炸，所以我有点担心他们可能成为囚犯的报复目标。
玛格丽特·布伦南：针对美国人吗？
埃马德·沙尔吉：针对美国人。我的意思是，如果你听说你的村庄、城镇遭到袭击，而你最能报复的方式就是——比如三个牢房之外的人，所以这种可能性一直存在。
玛格丽特·布伦南：西亚马克，你非常了解监狱内部的情况。听到埃马德的描述，你现在最担心的是这些美国人的处境和地位？
西亚马克·纳马齐：我认为，对伊朗的外国被拘留者来说，现在是最危险的时刻。他们被困在一个残忍的政权手中，这个政权把他们当作人质外交这场可怕游戏中的棋子，同时还身处一场他们无法控制的战争中。去年12天的战争期间，以色列在中午对埃文监狱投下了约7枚炸弹，炸弹不会区分囚犯和看守，所以他们确实面临真正的威胁。埃马德说得对，一旦国家局势军事化，监狱内部的军事化程度也会更高。我不太担心囚犯本身，我觉得他们都是好人，周围可能有朋友。我更担心的是伊朗政权——这些人现在成了这个流氓政权手中最容易攻击的目标。最后，对于人质或在海外被非法拘留的公民来说，最大的恐惧是被遗忘。现在华盛顿似乎忙于处理其他问题，而帮助这些人的国家——比如阿曼、卡塔尔——都有更紧迫的事情要处理，无暇顾及这些囚犯。所以我和埃马德都感谢你们能关注这个问题，我们需要让他们获释。对他们来说，现在就是我们能想象到的最危险的时刻。
玛格丽特·布伦南：你说得对。我们很少听到这些囚犯的消息。不过我们会尊重一些不愿公开姓名的家属，但我们提到的数字可能比公开报道的要多。为什么？为什么这个问题没有被更多讨论？现在把它作为一个议题会不会有风险？这是外交官常说的论点：如果放大他们的重要性，可能会提高美国人的“身价”。你认为现在强调他们的重要性为什么很关键？
埃马德·沙尔吉：因为我和身边的朋友都经历过那些牢房，我们明白，当你的国家有人关注你，让国务院都谈论你的案子时，这意味着什么。这给你带来希望，让你能安心入睡，醒来时也能轻松一些，知道隧道尽头有光。最糟糕的情况是没人谈论你，那种感觉很可怕，你会觉得自己在宇宙中迷失了。
玛格丽特·布伦南：西亚马克，我记得你是从伊朗获释的被拘留时间最长的美国人，8年。
西亚马克·纳马齐：这不是你希望获得的世界冠军头衔，对吧？
玛格丽特·布伦南：不，很高兴你能以幽默面对。我想你必须这样才能挺过来。
西亚马克·纳马齐：是的，但现在我们应该关注那些还在里面的人。幸运的是我们出来了。我想和埃马德一样，坐在这里很不真实。大概三年前，有人偷偷带了一部手机进来，让我们看看你的节目。我记得你当时在和埃马德的女儿们以及他的妻子交谈，如果我没记错的话，我还对埃马德说，我为你的女儿们感到骄傲，她们现在做得这么好。很遗憾，这是她们必须经历的，但给人以希望非常重要。但除了希望，还有美国这边的政策制定者。伊朗现在局势复杂，尤其是这场战争。我认为每一位美国总统，包括现任总统，都希望把被拘留的美国人带回来。我认为现任总统也以解决这个问题为荣。但我不知道他是否知道我们至少有6名被拘留者，我会质疑这个“4名”的数字，实际上可能至少有6名，甚至更多，因为很多人不愿向国务院透露自己的情况。我们需要让外界知道这些情况，给他们希望。正如我所说，被遗忘是最大的恐惧。现在，这种恐惧可能与被炸弹轰炸的恐惧相当，或者政权可能会忽视这些人的处境。但我们需要——我们需要向政策制定者施压，提醒他们，我们的公民仅仅因为持有蓝色护照就处于危险之中，我们需要把他们带回家。我想强调一点，现在是战争时期，我们还能对伊朗做什么？我们能威胁他们吗？或者说，有没有其他办法？
玛格丽特·布伦南：——他们已经受到了极其严厉的制裁。
西亚马克·纳马齐：没错，但——他们正在遭受轰炸，现在什么都没有了。但所有战争最终都会通过外交解决，无论是直接还是间接。因此，我希望看到的是，像你们这样的节目能推动政策制定者将解救美国人作为当务之急，尤其是在与伊朗进行外交谈判的第一个机会到来时。
玛格丽特·布伦南：内达，你为弟弟奔走的事迹令人印象深刻。我们要提到两个希望公开姓名的人：雷扎·瓦利扎德是一名记者，被指控与敌对政府（即美国）合作；卡姆兰·赫克马蒂本周刚被认定为非法拘留，61岁，被判两年徒刑，指控包括访问以色列。我们需要了解这些案件的什么信息？正式认定非法拘留身份实际上能带来什么效果？
内达·沙尔吉：谢谢你邀请我。认定非法拘留身份非常重要，因为这公开承认这些人是因为持有蓝色护照而被扣押的，美国政府现在可以动用所有资源来营救他们。雷扎和卡姆兰的家人希望他们的案件能公开。作为一名记者，我认为雷扎没有得到像埃文·格什科维奇（Evan Gershkovich）那样的关注，我不知道为什么，但我们需要提高雷扎的知名度。卡姆兰·赫克马蒂是美国犹太人，他的家人希望所有人都知道他和其他被关押在美国的人质一样，需要同样的关注。现在是战争时期，但特朗普总统已经证明了他的能力，他在加沙战争期间把美国人带回来了，我非常有信心，如果他知道这些人的名字和故事，他会指示政府想办法把他们带回家。
玛格丽特·布伦南：你认为他真的不知道吗？
内达·沙尔吉：我没有听到他提到这些名字。作为为弟弟和其他家庭奔走的人，我们常说，自由始于名字。你必须说出这个名字，它必须从你的嘴里说出来。我希望特朗普总统能说出这些名字。我给家属的建议是——你们的观众就在美国，要与媒体互动。向白宫和国务院的高层施压，他们很清楚，如果是他们的家人被关押在伊朗，他们会采取同样的行动。要让美国民众知道这些人的故事和名字，不要害怕，要大声疾呼。
玛格丽特·布伦南：西亚马克，你曾是被关押时间最长的美国人，被释放后，你认为现在的政策制定者应该如何行动？
西亚马克·纳马齐：我完全同意埃马德的说法，我相信特朗普总统非常重视这个问题。我们常说，这是最后一个无党派或两党共识的问题，无论是特朗普、拜登，还是回到20世纪50年代，你会发现美国总统都非常重视。正如内达所说，特朗普总统在这里有很好的记录。我想说的是，现在伊朗的政治、军事和经济能力都在恶化，这可能导致他们不得不做出反应。所以你会看到军事行动成为焦点，而人质问题可能被边缘化，或者无法实现。但我们希望总统能把营救美国人作为第五个目标，和其他四个战争目标并列。我认为至少有不到20名包括美国人在内的被拘留者，还有欧洲人。我希望无论是否被公开宣布，这个目标都能被列入他的议程。最后，我要指出，伊朗被首次列为“支持人质外交的国家”，就在战争开始前一两天。
玛格丽特·布伦南：——这是第一次使用这个称号。
罗杰·卡斯滕斯：是的，第一次。我认为这样做是有原因的。国务卿卢比奥（Rubio）在宣布时可能是想强调，这很重要，我们在关注，但我们首先有军事目标需要完成。
玛格丽特·布伦南：所以你确信最终这些美国人会被营救出来，政府会推动这一进程。
罗杰·卡斯滕斯：很难说，但我相信他们最终会被释放。我总是对我对面的两位朋友说，故事的结局是确定的，就是他们会出来。只是需要经历多少时间和痛苦。我希望政府在制定战略时能优先考虑营救美国人，特别是在伊朗局势恶化的情况下，这可能会影响人质问题的解决。我认为，只要有机会进行外交谈判，就应该立即营救我们的人。
玛格丽特·布伦南：你们有这么丰富的经历，能谈谈埃文监狱里的人吗？那里不仅仅是关押罪犯，更是政权控制民众和政治权力的象征，对吗？
西亚马克·纳马齐：是的，而且这也显示了他们控制手段的失败，因为即使在监狱里，他们也无法压制这些勇敢的人的声音。
玛格丽特·布伦南：对于现在的囚犯和那里的美国人，罗杰，你能告诉我们，维特科夫特使和总统女婿贾里德·库什纳（Jared Kushner）是否在与伊朗高级外交官的间接谈判中提到了美国人的问题？还是说应该将其与核问题完全分开？
罗杰·卡斯滕斯：我希望能准确回答，但我不确定。我只能说，当我们争取这些人的获释时，我们非常清楚核谈判与人质谈判之间的联系，如果核谈判突然失败，人质谈判也可能随之失败。因此，我们需要在这两个问题之间建立某种联系，但又不能过于紧密。而伊朗政权可能更倾向于将两者紧密联系起来。因此，这可能就是为什么在核谈判中，人质问题可能被暂时搁置。
玛格丽特·布伦南：作为家属，你是否觉得不能忽视这些人？
西亚马克·纳马齐：不，我认为我们必须时刻铭记他们的存在。这些人只是因为持有美国护照而被扣押，他们没有任何过错。我们需要让政府知道，这些人需要被优先考虑，否则他们可能会成为政治博弈的牺牲品。
玛格丽特·布伦南：最后，你们想对特朗普总统说什么？
埃马德·沙尔吉：我想告诉总统，他在营救美国人方面有着卓越的记录，没有其他总统能在第一百天内做到他所做的事情。我相信，如果他知道有美国人被关押在埃文监狱，他一定会指示身边的人将此事列为优先事项。
西亚马克·纳马齐：我完全同意埃马德的观点。我相信总统知道这些人的名字和情况后，一定会将营救他们作为优先事项。不幸的是，之前他们没有被优先考虑，但我认为，随着战争结束，通过外交谈判，他们很快会被释放。我恳请总统在与伊朗谈判时，确保营救美国人成为谈判的一部分。
玛格丽特·布伦南：非常感谢你们的时间和分享。我们稍后回来继续节目。
Transcript: Siamak Namazi, Emad Shargi, Roger Carstens, Neda Sharghi on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan,” March 22, 2026
2026-03-20T17:54:39-0400 / CBS News
March 20, 2026 / 5:54 PM EDT / CBS News
The following is the full transcript of the panel with former Iran detainees Siamak Namazi and Emad Shargi, Roger Carstens, a CBS News contributor and former U.S. special envoy for hostage affairs, and Shargi’s sister, Neda Sharghi. A portion of the panel will air on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan” on March 22, 2026.
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MARGARET BRENNAN: There are at least four Americans currently detained in Iran. Two of them, Reza Valizadeh and Kamran Hekmati, have been designated by the U.S. government as wrongfully detained and are believed to be held in Iran’s notorious Evin Prison. We’re joined now by two people who have shared that experience of being wrongfully detained inside Iran, Siamak Namazi and Emad Shargi. Neda Sharghi is Emad’s sister and spent years advocating for his release and continues to help other families of wrongful detainees. And Roger Carstens is a CBS News contributor and formerly the U.S. Special Envoy for Hostage Affairs under both Biden and Trump’s first administration. Welcome to the program. It is surreal to see the two of you sitting next to each other as well, having covered your cases for so long. I want to ask about what’s going on right now. During the 12-day war, we know that Israel, last June, did bomb Evin Prison. During this current war, we haven’t heard of anything like that yet, but last Sunday, Iran’s foreign minister told us here on Face The Nation that as long as the U.S. and Israel do not attack their prisons, I guess they are safe. He was talking about the at least four Americans that we mentioned there. You know what it’s like inside. Emad, what concerns you about the Americans there now?
EMAD SHARGI: Thank you, Margaret, for having us here. It’s great to be sitting in front of you now that we are free. I think whenever there is an issue taking place in Iran, the walls of Evin are like an amplifier. So when there’s a ripple outside in the society, there’s a tidal wave inside. I was there in October of 20- 2022, when the Mahsa Amini protests were taking place. Things change rapidly, from bad to worse, inside. It’s a very uncomfortable situation. I’m worried about the Americans that are there now, about their safety, both from their captors and, you know, the country is being bombed, so I’m not, you know, I’m a little worried that they might become targets of inmates. So–
MARGARET BRENNAN: For being American?
EMAD SHARGI: For being American. I mean, you know, if- if you hear that your village, your town, has been hit, and the closest thing you have to take revenge is, you know, three cells down, so that possibility is always there.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Siamak, you know very well what it’s like on the inside. I mean, when you hear Emad’s description there, what are you concerned about in terms of the Americans and their status right now?
SIAMAK NAMAZI: I think this is as dangerous a time as it can be for foreign detainees in Iran. They are stuck between a cruel regime that is using them as a pawn in their horrible game of hostage diplomacy and a war that they cannot control. You know, in the 12-day war, Israel bombed Evin Prison around noon. I think they dropped about seven bombs, and bombs don’t distinguish between inmates and guards, and so they- they have a real worry. Emad pointed out correctly that as soon as the situation in the country becomes securitized, it becomes much more securitized within- within the prison. I am less worried about the inmates. I think these are lovely people, and they will probably have good friends around them. I am much more worried about the regime. These- they are the easiest to grab punching bag right now in the hands of- of that rogue regime. So I think this is as dangerous a time. And finally, you know, for- for a hostage or wrongfully detained citizen abroad, their biggest fear is to be forgotten, and this is a very dangerous time for them, with all that’s going on in Washington’s mind. And you know, the- the regular- the countries that help, the Omanis, the Qataris, everyone has bigger fish to fry than to worry about the detainees. So let me join Emad and the others of thanking you, you know, bringing attention to this, it’s- we- we do need to get them out. This is as dangerous a time as- as we can imagine for them.
MARGARET BRENNAN: And you’re right. We’re not hearing a lot about these prisoners. We will honor some of the families who don’t want names public, but we mentioned that the numbers are- are perhaps even higher than what’s being publicly reported. Why? Why isn’t it being discussed more? Is there a risk right now in making it an issue? That’s often the argument you hear from diplomats. You increase the price on the head of an American if you amplify that they’re important. Why do you think it’s important right now to say that they matter?
EMAD SHARGI: Because I and my friend sitting next to me were in those- on those floors, in those cells, we understand what it means when people in your country know about you, that your case is important enough for people in the State Department to talk about. It gives you hope. You go to bed a little easier. You wake up a little lighter. You know there is a light at the end of the tunnel. The worst thing that can happen to you is that nobody talks about you. That is a horrible feeling. You really feel lost in the universe.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Siamak, you were, I believe, the longest held American prisoner to have been released from Iran. Eight years.
SIAMAK NAMAZI: Not the world title you hope for, is it?
MARGARET BRENNAN: No, I’m glad that you have a sense of humor about it. I guess you have to- to get through that.
SIAMAK NAMAZI: Yes, but right now, let’s focus on those who are in there. We’re thankfully out. And I want to echo what Emad says, it’s really surreal to be sitting here. I think four years ago to- or three years ago to the mark, there was someone who had snuck in a cell phone and let us borrow it to see your program. And you- I think you were talking with Emad’s daughters and- and his wife, if I’m- if I remember correctly, and I remember telling Emad, I’m so proud of your girls for getting so good at this. I’m sorry that, you know, this is what it took, but it’s extremely important to give people hope. But beyond hope, it’s also the policymakers on this side. This- there’s so much going on in Iran and especially with this war. We, you know, all U.S. presidents, I think every single one of them, would want to get American detainees out. And I think this particular president takes pride in it. I don’t know if he’s even aware that we have at least six, and I would- I would challenge the four number. At least six, probably more, because there’s a lot of people who don’t want their cases mentioned, even to the State Department. And you know, we- we need to get the word out to give them hope. As I said, being forgotten is the biggest fear. Today, probably rivaled with the fear of bombs dropping on them, or the regime taking out the fact that they can’t do anything about the bomb on these guys. But we need- we- you know, we need to put pressure on the policy makers here to remind them we have Americans in harm’s way solely for holding a blue passport, and we need to bring them home. I think- one thing I should emphasize is, I know it’s wartime. I know what else are we going to do to Iran? What are we going to threaten them with? Or, you know, there’s- there’s no–
MARGARET BRENNAN: –They’re incredibly sanctioned.
SIAMAK NAMAZI: True, but- well, they’re getting bombed. There’s nothing else- they’re- they’re getting really bombed. But all wars end in diplomacy, either direct or indirect. And so what I would like to see, and what I hope for programs like this could encourage, is to make sure that it is a real priority to get out our people the first chance there is for diplomacy and negotiations with Iran.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Neda, you were such an advocate for your brother. Two of the names that do want to be public, and I want to read them. Reza Valizadeh is a journalist. He was charged with collaborating with a hostile government. I guess the United States is the hostile government. Kamran Hekmati was just designated this week. He’s 61 years old, a two year sentence, an accusation of a few things, including visiting Israel. What do we need to know about these cases and what is this like formal designation actually achieve?
NEDA SHARGHI: Thank you for having me on. The designation is very important, because you publicly now recognize these individuals as being used for their blue passport, and the United States government now has the sort of carte blanche to use all its resources to get them out. And, you know, these two individuals, Reza’s and Kamran’s families, do want their cases to be public. You know, as a journalist, you know, I don’t think Reza is getting as much attention as you know Evan Gershkovich was receiving. I don’t know why, but we need to increase Reza’s profile. And, you know, it’s- it’s public knowledge. Kamran Hekmati is an American Jew, and his- his family wants everyone to know that he- he- he needs the same attention that we gave the hostages who were being held in Gaza. And yes, we are at war, but President Trump has shown us proof of concept. He brought home Americans during the war in Gaza, and I am incredibly confident, having brought over 100 Americans home, that if he knows the names of these individuals, if he knows the stories that he will, you know, instruct his administration to find a way of bringing them home.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Do you think there really is a chance he doesn’t know?
NEDA SHARGHI: You know, I haven’t heard him say those names. And you know, as someone who advocated for my brother and for Siamak and for other families, we always say freedom starts with a name. You’ve got to utter the name, it has to come out of your mouth. And I- I hope to hear President Trump utter those words. And the families, you know, my advice to the families is- is, you know, you have- your audience is here in the U.S., engage with the media. Senior leaders in the White House and in the State Department, hold them accountable. They understand, they have thick skin. If it was their family members being held in Iran, they would do the same thing. And make sure the American public knows the stories and knows the names. Don’t be scared. Be vocal. Be out there.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Roger, you were one of those officials with thick skin inside the department hearing in the past about people who had been detained. Right now, why aren’t we hearing more? You were part of the last administration’s attempts to get these gentlemen out. There was a trade there. There was release of prisoners from the United States, people who had actually gone through the court system. And then there was also a release of about $6 billion in funds. That was hugely controversial, but it was a trade President Biden decided to carry out, do these options not exist now?
ROGER CARSTENS: Yeah. I mean, the options probably change. I can- I can point out that the- the trade that we did in terms of money, that was from South Korea to Qatar, the money’s not been touched. Not $1 went into Iran during that period. It was to be able to use for humanitarian items, and the Iranians never used it. And I think there probably are things that we should be considering, but I’ll say just a few things. Number one, from experience, President Trump does care about this topic very much. We often say that this is the last nonpartisan or bipartisan issue, and that both President Trump, President Biden and go back to probably the 1950s you’ll find American presidents that really cared about this. And as Neda said, President Trump has a pretty good track record here. I would say that though- it’s right now you’re seeing the political, military and economic degradation of Iran’s capabilities, and that’s kind of leading it. So you’re going to see the military, of course, front and center in terms of trying to drive a strategy. And maybe the things that you might call as a political objective or a hostage objective might be off to the side or not necessarily coming up to fruition. I think it’s our hope that if the president lists four war objectives, that the fifth objective is getting Americans out and maybe freeing all the other people that are kept in Evin Prison. I think I’ve seen a list of probably just under 20, not only Americans, but Europeans as well. And I’m hopeful that whether that’s an announced objective, or whether that’s off to the side, I’m hopeful that’s- that’s on his list of things to do. But maybe the last thing I’ll point out is the designation of Iran as a state sponsor of hostage diplomacy came out, like a day or two prior to the war starting–
MARGARET BRENNAN: –For the very first time it was used.
ROGER CARSTENS: First time. And I think- I think it was done for a reason. I think that Secretary of State Rubio, in making that announcement, was trying to say, this is important, we’re watching it, but we have some military objectives that we need to- to work through first.
MARGARET BRENNAN: So you are confident that ultimately these Americans will be able to come out and that the administration will push for them.
ROGER CARSTENS: You know, it’s hard to say, I am confident that they will eventually come out. I always used to say this about my two friends across the table here. We know how the story ends. The story ends with them coming out. It’s just how much time and how much pain do you have to go through to get there. And I’m just hopeful that the administration is working that. I would have a belief that they are. I think this is the one area that I know President Trump cares deeply about, just as President Biden did. And I’d like to think that it’s one of those objectives that’s over here, and when it’s time, it will come to the forefront. But I think just from where we are in terms of what’s important to us, you know, deep down, I know we’d like to see that come out to the forefront earlier, rather than later.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Because you two have such incredible experience. Can you tell us a little bit about who are the people inside the walls of Evin Prison. Because right now, in the American dialogue, you are hearing these calls from the Israeli government, from the American government, for the- for the Iranian people to take to the streets. You knew a lot of that political opposition, and they were inside the walls of that prison, right? Who is there? Like, what are you thinking about in this moment?
EMAD SHARGI: I wilI defer to Siamak to answer that question. I think for about two years, Siamak and I were separate. Siamak knows some of the more highly known and respected opposition leaders who were in his ward, and I got to meet some of the boys who had gone on the street and- and protest during the Mahsa Amini and also during the fuel increase uprisings. So I think together, we have seen both sides of them, so Siamak?
SIAMAK NAMAZI: That’s a point, Evin Prison is not just where they take criminals, it’s where the regime holds anyone they want out of the way. And this is a highly corrupt mafia-like system, so you will run into very senior people. It’s kind of like a mafia war. He knocks out the group, nothing personal, wants the turf. So if your under boss gets weak, you end up in prison, and some other guy takes over your economic turf. So you meet very senior Iranian officials all the way down to, you know, members of ISIS and everything in between. Obviously, there’s a lot of the opposition coming, from prominent people, former reformists turned transitionalists as they call themselves, some really, really, amazingly brave people, human rights lawyers, civil rights movements, from labor unions, teachers movements. And I will tell you something, they will leave you in awe of what bravery means. And I have seen tremendous bravery. But what we always knew was across- where we were just one yard away from the women’s ward, and we knew they- they had the real guts- they were- they shamed us. You know, they shamed all the men. They had a lot more restrictions and a lot more guts. You just meet amazing, amazing people. And one thing I’m proud to say, you would see from monarchists to members of the MEK to, as I said, reformists, and they spoke respectfully to each other, unlike what we see today among the Iranian opposition of the diaspora, which is- has a long way to go, but- but you do meet amazing, amazing, courageous people who stand up for what is right and gladly come in prison and within prison too, stand up for what is right and pay the price inside as well.
MARGARET BRENNAN: And I think you captured it there that the prison isn’t just a place for criminals, it’s really a symbol of the regime’s hold and the way it uses it to control the public and the political power, right? That’s what I’m hearing you say.
SIAMAK NAMAZI: And it also shows how bad they are at doing that, because even within prison, even while they’re containing you, you will hear people putting out announcements, printing in the newspapers. Even within Evin Prison, they- they fail to crush the voice of these courageous people.
MARGARET BRENNAN: For the- the inmates now and the Americans there, Roger, can you tell us in the talks that Envoy Witkoff and the president’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, were having indirectly with top Iranian diplomats, were the Americans raised at all? Or should they remain completely separate from the nuclear objectives?
ROGER CARSTENS: Yeah, I- I wish I had the answer to that just out of curiosity. I don’t know the answer to it, but I can say that when we were arguing to get these gentlemen home, we were very cognizant of the connection between the nuclear talks and that of the prisoner talks, because if the nuclear talks suddenly fail very horribly, the prisoner talks could be pulled down with it. So it was very important for us to maybe just have a dotted line between the two issues, but not link them too tightly together, which–
MARGARET BRENNAN: But in the view of the regime, they’re tied.
ROGER CARSTENS: I think to- more to an extent than in ours. I think we were very practical about how close those issues got together, and we wanted the flexibility to separate them if we wanted to. And the regime, I think they’re- they’re much more married close together. And so that’s why— I really don’t know I mean, if- if Witkoff and Kushner were- were trying to articulate an end to a nuclear issue, how close will they push it together? Practically, it may not be that close, depending on where they feel they are with the Iranians.
MARGARET BRENNAN: It’s hard, as a family member, to not say- and I know you literally went to the White House and said, you need to talk about my brother, and these things need to be raised. But this is so thorny and complicated when human beings are at the other end of these really complex nuclear issues and military issues. For the American people, what do you want them to know, Neda, about both the Americans who are held and the Iranians and the Iranian Americans who are back in Tehran right now?
NEDA SHARGHI: Well, you know, I’m not an analyst. I can give you a little bit about my own lived experience. You know, I was born in Iran, and I left with my family during the revolution in 1979 with my parents and Emad. I am an American now, but, you know, my country of birth is still very much in my heart, and there are people in Iran who all they want is freedom and peace, and they, you know, it’s- it’s- it’s tough, because here I am trying to advocate for Americans there, but I want freedom for everyone, And I want people of Iran to find liberation just as much. I- I do want to say that, sort of to Roger’s point, what happens with our American hostages, whether they’re- they’re in Iran or in Venezuela, is that they always become a hostage to other bigger, broader political issues. And I wish that, you know, Envoy Witkoff had, sort of, before he started engaging with the Iranians, had said, we will not talk to you until there’s an unconditional release of our Americans. I’m not sure if that was asked or not, but here we are again. You know, these- these Americans who are innocent, are again tied to this issue that’s, you know, out of their control. So I want- I want Americans to know that, you know, Kamran and- and Reza are just ordinary Americans who were there, sort of, to- to take care of family, and they’ve been caught in this big issue. And we need to- we need to convince our government to separate them from what’s going on and- and find a creative solution, like we did to get Emad and Siamak home. Find a creative solution to bring them home.
MARGARET BRENNAN: I wonder what you, but the two of you in particular, would say to President Trump at a moment like this.
EMAD SHARGI: What I would tell the president is he has such a great record of getting Americans home from all over the world. I don’t think any other president has managed to do what he has done in the first 100 days. And I’m confident that if he is aware that there are Americans sitting in Evin Prison, that he is going to instruct people around him to put that on the agenda. So I think it’s important that he hears that, that there are innocent Americans being held like we were as political pawns.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Siamak?
SIAMAK NAMAZI: I completely agree with Emad, and I can’t imagine if President Trump knew their names and knew these cases, they wouldn’t be one of the priorities. I would say that it is unfortunate that they weren’t- priority was not given to them before. But as I said, I personally think that there will be a time soon because all wars end with some form of diplomacy. So I would implore President Trump to make sure that part of those negotiations that will be coming up is bringing our people home.
MARGARET BRENNAN: I’ll let that be the final word from the two of you. Thank you and thank you for your time. We’ll be right back.
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