WASHINGTON _ On a trip to Iran a decade ago, former Rep. Jim Slattery exchanged a "Rock Chalk, Jayhawk" cheer with an Iranian official who had attended the University of Kansas and remembered Slattery's time as a Democratic congressman from the state.
Slattery struck up a friendship with Majid Takht-Ravanchi, now Iran's ambassador to the United Nations, based on their Kansas ties.
This relationship _ and others Slattery has built with Iranian officials in the years since he left Congress _ played a role in brokering an international prisoner swap this month between the U.S. and Iran after decades of hostility.
The Trump administration announced Saturday that Iran agreed to release Xiyue Wang, a Chinese-American doctoral student at Princeton University who had been held prisoner for the last three years on espionage charges.
Wang was released in exchange for Masoud Soleimani, an Iranian stem cell researcher who faced federal prosecution on allegations that he had violated U.S. sanctions.
Slattery, who served in the U.S. House from 1983 to 1995, became involved in the case on a pro bono basis six months ago when he was contacted by Wang's attorney, Jason Poblete.
"First thing I did was contact that Iranians that I know," said Slattery, who has been involved in faith-based outreach efforts to Iran for 15 years through Catholic University. Among them was Takht-Ravanchi.
"He had fond memories of his time in Lawrence, Kansas, and that gave us a personal connection," Slattery said.
Takht-Ravanchi served as an intermediary between Slattery and Iran's foreign minister in recent months as the two were in regular communication about the case.
"I don't want to overemphasize this, but I do think the Kansas connection was helpful," Slattery said.
"Here's Majid Ravanchi as a young student studying at the University of Kansas and fast forward 25 years he's the ambassador for Iran to the United Nations," Slattery said. "And he's a guy who wants to figure out a better relationship between Iran and the United States based on mutual respect."
Poblete, who regularly handles cases involving U.S. citizens held overseas, said he didn't know Slattery before the Wang matter, but people had recommended he contact him based on his experience with Iran. Poblete said he wishes he had contacted Slattery earlier in the process.
"I do believe that his role was extremely important, especially his network in the Abrahamic dialogue," Poblete said.
"When you know someone and that person on the other side has a trust factor I think it helps immensely," Poblete said.
Poblete emphasized that his team kept the Trump administration abreast of all of its dealings with the Iranian government throughout process and worked closely with the FBI and the State Department's Office of the Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs.
Poblete's client, Wang, was arrested while doing research in Tehran on the Qajar Dynasty for his doctorate.
"He has not seen his 6-year old-boy in three years and he has not seen his wife in three years," Slattery said. On Monday morning, Wang was at a U.S. Air Force base in Germany.
Slattery said he met with Iran Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, who he has known for 10 years, when Zarif came to New York for a United Nations summit in September.
Zarif also has ties to the U.S. as a graduate of the University of Denver, Slattery said.
Slattery told Zarif that the espionage charges against Wang were ridiculous.
"Mr. Zarif's response was the United States is holding people who we don't think should be held either, so I said, 'Who is at the top of your list?'" Slattery said.
The answer was Soleimani, arrested last year upon arriving in the U.S. at the invitation of the Mayo Clinic.
"I zeroed in on figuring out the merits of the Soleimani case and figuring out whether the DOJ had a good case," Slattery said.
Soleimani was arrested in connection to a case against colleagues who had been attempting to export proteins from the U.S. to Iran, Slattery said.
"A very reasonable argument can be made that those substances are exempt under the medical exclusion in our sanctions laws," said Slattery, who noted that materials in question could not be weaponized.
Slattery and former U.S. Ambassador the U.N. Bill Richardson met with Department of Justice officials to discuss Soleimani's case.
Slattery said he's hopeful that the case can serve as a first step toward renewing negotiations with Iran after President Donald Trump pulled out of Obama administration's nuclear agreement with Iran.
"Thank you to Iran on a very fair negotiation," Trump said on Twitter Saturday. "See, we can make a deal together!"
Slattery called the dissolution of the nuclear deal a tragic mistake, but he praised Trump's role in Wang's case.
"I think the president or someone very close to him intervened in the last week and really expedited this process," Slattery said.
Trump noted Saturday that Wang was taken prisoner during former President Barack Obama's tenure, but was released during his presidency. While Trump took credit for Wang's release, White House officials are not claiming the president had a direct role in the negotiations at any stage.
They are offering their "appreciation," if not credit, to Democrats Slattery and Richardson for their diplomatic outreach.
"While we appreciate Ambassador Richardson's and others' efforts, this release was negotiated by current U.S. officials with Swiss assistance," a senior administration official told McClatchy. "We value the partnerships the U.S. government has formed with NGOs and representatives of the families of Americans held hostage abroad."
