Eight Years in Iranian Captivity: An Exclusive Interview with Siamak Namazi | Amanpour and Company

World leaders are meeting at the annual U.N. General Assembly against a grim backdrop of global conflict and deepening geopolitical divisions. In the Middle East, war conditions are escalating. Lebanon reports a death toll of at least 274 on the deadliest day since the 2006 war, after Israel conducted extensive airstrikes on Hezbollah targets across the country. Talks aimed at ending the war in Gaza are at a standstill. Yet diplomacy can sometimes yield results. One year ago, Siamak Namazi was released from Iran's notorious Evin Prison in a hostage-prisoner swap with the United States. His was the longest period of imprisonment of any American in Iran -- a horrifying eight-year ordeal. Six months before his release, Namazi bravely called in to this program from inside Evin to make an emotional appeal to President Biden. One year later he is ready to talk for the first time, in an exclusive with Christiane in New York.

Originally aired on September 23, 2024

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Major support for Amanpour and Company is provided by Jim Attwood and Leslie Williams, Candace King Weir, the Sylvia A. and Simon B. Poyta Programming Endowment to Fight Antisemitism, the Leila and Mickey Straus Family Charitable Trust, Mark J. Blechner, the Filomen M. D’Agostino Foundation, Seton J. Melvin, the Peter G. Peterson and Joan Ganz Cooney Fund, Charles Rosenblum, Koo and Patricia Yuen, Barbara Hope Zuckerberg, and Jeffrey Katz and Beth Rogers.

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Amanpour and Company features wide-ranging, in-depth conversations with global thought leaders and cultural influencers on the issues and trends impacting the world each day, from politics, business and technology to arts, science and sports. Christiane Amanpour leads the conversation on global and domestic news from London with contributions by prominent journalists Walter Isaacson, Michel Martin, Alicia Menendez and Hari Sreenivasan from the Tisch WNET Studios at Lincoln Center in New York City.

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[rezafarhad]

There are thousands in worst condition than you . They suffer because they voiced for liberty and humanity, and your case greed and trade went wrong

[TheMomeni]

Something not adding up about this guy and his father's very curious travels to Iran and how they were freed. Apparently his father had extensive financial dealings with forces inside the regime

[chrisrogers]

Americans warned since 2009 they could be detained, arrested, imprisoned, kidnapped. Same in 2015 when namazi traveled there.

[miladn]

When CNN promotes a character, you know WhatsUp lol

[catmooradian]

Iran’s government needs to be friendlier and create safety for all Persians going back.

[tomahawk]

Great interview i paid attention this time. I was also hurt i will always believe in God an Country in spite of all the turmoil that surround us public TV is the best

[KOROOSH]

خانم عمان پور و آقای نمازی، هم خودتان میدانید و هم مردم شریف ایران می دانند که از جمهوری اسهالی چقدر منفعت بردید. خانم عمانپور خودت با لچک گذاشتن میرفتید ایران برای خوب جلوه دادن این نظام اسهالی گزارش تهيه میکردید و با مقامات این نظام بچه کوش در نيويورک مصاحبه میکردید؟! و شما آقای نمازی و پدر با این نظام مبادله اقتصادی میکردید و دائم در رفت و آمد بودید؟! الان در قرن ۲۱ با دنیای دیجیتال نمیتوانید انکار بکنید که طرفدار این نظام ظلم ستیز نبودید! در ايران آزاد و دمکراتیک جایگاه شما ته صف می‌باشد ✌️

[hamidahlouch]

Nobody would believe the AMANPOUR programme's point of view. She is never neutral. 😅😅😅

[rezakarampour]

' What the Media Won't Tell You about Iran ? ; Reallygraceful Channel .

[amirahmadi]

Greed and indecency got him in serious trouble. He is lucky to have been released. Let this be a lesson to all those greedy people who are willing to turn a blind eye to the regime's atrocities to indecently enrich themselves. Siamak Namazi, Amanpour, Trita Parsi, Azadeh Moaveni, Farnaz Fassihi, Negar Mortazavi, their ilk are ignominious, petty people who only think about their pockets and miserable careers with no scruples about the depraved Islamic regime's killing of their erstwhile compatriots and its destruction of the country that (alas!) is their birthplace.

[barnetlondon]

Hotel Evine, Playgrounds is for Mullahs Agents and publicities' Another law suit on frozen Iranian money

[MrArash]

Dear siamak
Have u learned the lesson?
Now u know there us no way to make money with Ayatollahs :))

[NancyPark-oqky]

Some people's comments seem rather harsh. Since I know little of he & his father's story, I will ignore those. I am glad he & the others are home now. I pray those in Russia & other places will also be freed also.

[Clairebearthegoodfinder]

Welcome home thanks to everyone involved and of course God.

[spink]

The full interview was excellent and gut wrenching!❤