Flint Congressman Dan Kildee said Sunday he will be visiting Amir Hekmati, the former U.S. Marine who was released from an Iranian prison on Saturday. Channel 4 Detroit reported Kildee said he can’t wait to meet Amir Hekmati in person. Hekmati’s release was part of an extraordinary weekend of diplomacy that saw the release of five Americans and the lifting of billions in international sanctions on Iran as part of a nuclear accord. Kildee is flying with Hekmati’s sister to a U.S. base in Germany, which is where physicians are examining Hekmati at an U.S. Air Force base medical center, after years in what is considered one of the worst prisons in the world. Channel 4 printed Kildee’s address from a family statement, ““It is hard to put into words what our family feels right now. But we remain in hopeful anticipation until Amir is in our arms. As many of you know, Amir’s father is very ill and soon he will embrace his son once more. We are incredibly grateful for today’s news. We thank our government, and we thank all of you whose thoughts and prayers helped us tremendously since Amir was taken from us in 2011.” At the time Hekmati became an Iranian hostage, he was visiting family in Iran. Hekmati was born in the United States to Iranian-born parents.
