Daughters of American held in Iran discuss his 5-year confinement and move to house arrest

Read the Full Transcript

• Geoff Bennett:

  Iran has for years used American dual nationals as hostage bargaining chips with the West. Last week, the Biden administration struck a deal to relocate five American Iranians from prison to house arrest. It's hoped they will come home to the U.S. in the coming weeks. Amna Nawaz sat down for an exclusive conversation with the daughters of one of the prisoners.

• Amna Nawaz :

  Among the five Americans moved from Evin prison to house arrest was Emad Shargi. Born in Iran, he moved to the U.S. as a child, returning to Iran in 2018 to reconnect with his roots. He was arrested, convicted on bogus charges, and has been detained for the last five years. His daughters Hannah and Ariana join me now for their first interview since their father was transferred out of prison. Good to see you both again. Welcome back.

  Ariana Shargi, Daughter of Emad Shargi: Great to see you.

  Hannah Shargi, Daughter of Emad Shargi: Thank you for having us.

• Amna Nawaz :

  You have not just been able to talk to him since he left prison. You were able to see him in a video chat. What was that like? What did you say to him? What did he say to you?

• Ariana Shargi:

  It was incredible to see his face in I can't even say how long it's been. You can really tell the toll that the person has taken on him. It looks like he's lost 30 pounds. He looks 20 years older than he should. All of that being said, it was such an incredible blessing to be able to speak to him, to see his face, and just to show him my apartment for the first time. He had never seen my hair this color before. And so just to have that face-to-face connection was just really magical.

• Amna Nawaz :

  Hannah, what did you say to him?

• Hannah Shargi:

  I think I screamed a little bit at first and just said I'm excited to see him face to face. I told him again about, like, my apartment that I just moved into a New York. And he was like: "I love the exposed brick." (LAUGHTER)

• Hannah Shargi:

  And silly things that you want to tell your dad that you haven't seen in five years.

• Amna Nawaz :

  He is not free yet. We should stress that. He's still under house arrest under the control of the Iranian regime. U.S. officials say there's still some negotiating to be done, right? The contours of the deal, as they have been reported, are some $6 billion in oil revenue being unfrozen in South Korea and Iranians held in the U.S. freed. I'm told September could be when we see him come home. You and your families have been part of a number of group calls, including one with Secretary of State Blinken yesterday. Did he give you any other details on timeline or a deal?

• Hannah Shargi:

  No. We were lucky enough to speak with Secretary Blinken yesterday. And he spoke to the families and just reassured us how important this issue was to him. And it was honestly quite emotional, because this is the closest, it seems, that we have ever been. And we are optimistically hopeful. And just seeing the determination Secretary Blinken's face is really reassuring. And I hope the next time we speak to him, it's with the news that our dad is on a plane headed back to the U.S.

• Amna Nawaz:

  Ariana, you have been on this show before. You have been critical of the U.S. government and their efforts. I know Hannah last time was wondering, if we can get folks home from Russia, why can't we get them home from Iran? How would you assess how they're doing now and their efforts to free your dad?

• Ariana Shargi:

  I mean, obviously, we're so happy to see these steps and see some traction. That being said, as you said, they're still not home. My dad is still essentially a prisoner of Iran, of the country. And he almost died in prison. He has been sick many times. We're still anxious. And I don't think we're going to stop being anxious until we're able to hug him and hold him. And I think that's when we will really know that the job is done, is when they're on American soil.

• Amna Nawaz :

  Are you worried the deal could fall apart?

• Ariana Shargi:

  I don't even want to speak that into the air.

• Amna Nawaz :

  Well, we know it's already facing a lot of criticism since the reports first broke, most notably from political opposition. Former Vice President Mike Pence called it a ransom payment, adding he believes the money will fund terrorism. And he also wrote this. He said: "China and Russia, who are also holding Americans hostage, now know the price has just gone up." You guys have heard these concerns before. They're echoed by a number of lawmakers, that this could feel more hostage-taking, that more families could be in the same position yours have been in for several years. Are you worried about that, Hannah?

• Hannah Shargi:

  I mean, listen, at the end of the day, my sister and I are 25 years old and 27 years old. We are not foreign policy experts. And I think we should trust the U.S. government that they are doing the right thing, and they are bringing innocent Americans home. I want to talk about that fact, the human factor. I'm confused and, quite frankly, astonished that we are continuing to talk about all these other things, and we're forgetting that we are dealing with human lives, we are dealing with a father that misses his wife and his children, that has nearly died. And I want to focus on that point, on the human aspect of all this.

• Amna Nawaz :

  Ariana, what do you make of the criticism?

• Ariana Shargi:

  I mean, as my sister said, we're not experts. We really — we can have no say in all of this. We just want to emphasize the point that these are innocent people. They have been rotting away in jail. They have missed graduations, birthdays, first cars, their kids' dating lives. Like, they have missed all of these little things only because they're Americans. So, as my sister said, I think we really need to focus on the fact that we need to bring these individuals home and, yes, trust that the experts will do their job.

• Amna Nawaz :

  It has been five years since you hugged your dad, right, since you have seen him in person. You talked about all the things he has missed. Have you thought about the first thing you will do when you get to see him, when he's home?

• Ariana Shargi:

  I mean, I know my sister and I have both dreamed of our dad coming home almost every night. I wake up five, six times a week just heartbroken that my dreams are not a reality. And always in those dreams the only thing that I do is just hug him. And I think that that's the only thing that I want to do. I just want to hug my dad, and I don't want to let him go. I just want us, the four of us, me and my sister and my mom, my dad, to be able to sit down at the table like we used to every night for dinner, eat my dad's incredible cooking, his lasagnas, listen to classic rock, and just be able to be normal and have normal conversations and just — yes.

• Amna Nawaz :

  What about you, Hannah?

• Hannah Shargi:

  I mean, I'm scared I will just collapse to the floor the moment I see him, because I have thought about it for so long, like my sister said. Yes, I just want to hug him and never let him get too far from me again. I want to barbecue with him, show him that I have been keeping the grill warm this whole time. I had to learn how to barbecue since he's been gone. I just want to tell him all the things he's missed. I mean, he's missed one-fifth of my entire life at this point. That's a long time for a young girl. So I just want him close by. And we will keep hoping and praying until hopefully that comes true.

• Amna Nawaz :

  Hannah and Ariana Shargi, the daughters of Emad Shargi, thank you so much for joining us. Good to see you both again.

• Ariana Shargi:

  Thank you for having us.

• Hannah Shargi:

  Thank you so much.

• Ariana Shargi:

  Thank you.

Improved audio player available on our mobile page