TEHRAN On the eve of a visit by Irans moderate president, Hassan Rouhani, to the United States, the Iranian authorities on Wednesday unexpectedly freed 11 of Irans most prominent political prisoners, includingNasrin Sotoudeh, a human rights lawyer. Analysts said the prisoner release was a significant step in Mr. Rouhanis efforts to repair Irans relationship ...

Hope is tempered by caution both among Iranians and in the west, where some see an opportunity to repair relations. A young Iranian couple, Masoud Bastani and Mahsa Amr-Abadi, both journalists and both imprisoned on account of their writing, have seen very little of each other for the past four years. Like many Iranian prisoners they were granted ...