Iran, US to Swap Prisoners on Monday
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry said on Monday that the exchange of prisoners with the US will take place today.
Speaking to reporters at a press conference on Monday, Nasser Kanaani said the implementation of an agreement on the release of Iran’s frozen assets and the exchange of prisoners with the US has been going on step by step at a good pace.
Expressing hope that the unfrozen assets would be transferred to Iran’s bank account in one of the friend countries today, the spokesman said the exchange of prisoners will take place afterwards and five Iranian citizens will be released today.
He explained that two of the Iranian nationals will return home of their own volition and another one will join his family in a third country, while two others have preferred to stay in the US.
Reciprocally, five American nationals will be handed over to the US, he added.
The US administration announced on September 11 that it had taken concrete steps to clear the way for the prisoner exchange, issuing a waiver that allows international banks to transfer the $6 billion to Qatar without the threat of US sanctions.
The waiver means that European, Middle Eastern and Asian banks will not be in violation of US sanctions in converting Iran's money, which was frozen in South Korea, and transferring it to Qatar’s central bank, where it will be held for Tehran to be used for the purchase of non-sanctioned goods.
The Biden administration also agreed to release five Iranian citizens held in the United States.
The five Iranian detainees were identified as Mehrdad Moein Ansari, Kambiz Attar Kashani, Reza Sarhangpour Kofrani, Amin Hassanzadeh, and Kaveh Lotfollah Afrasiabi.
Top Iranian officials have emphasized that there is no connection between the prisoner exchange agreement reached with the United States and the release of Iran's frozen assets.