Five US prisoners already held in Iran took off from Tehran’s Mehrabad International Airport in a prisoner exchange operation. The flight would be headed to Doha, where the prisoner exchange agreed between the Islamic Republic and the United States is expected.
The four men and one woman, the latter holding an Iranian passport, reportedly boarded a plane once it was confirmed that $6 billion in Iranian funds, once held in South Korea, would reach banks in Doha. An agreement that has been going on for over a year and reached last month afterwards.
Iran also requested the release of five Iranians imprisoned in US prisons, mostly on charges of violating US sanctions.
Furthermore, there are also two relatives of the released prisoners on board. These are believed to be Siamak Namazi, an Iranian-American businessman who has remained behind bars in a Tehran prison for nearly eight years, the longest period of detention of a US citizen in Iran. Other names include, among others, Morad Tahbaz, also an entrepreneur, who also holds British nationality, and that of Emad Shargi. The prisoners were all released last month from Tehran’s Evin prison and placed under house arrest. The identities of the other two freed Americans are not publicly known.
President Biden had long been urged to bring home Americans considered hostages used by Iran as bargaining chips. For Iran, this deal frees up money earned from selling oil to South Korea, although funds deposited in Qatari banks can only be used by third parties to purchase goods such as food and medicine.
The exchange is still considered complex and controversial. The prisoners’ release comes as a great relief to their families and supporters, many of whom have waited several years for their return. He has also come under harsh criticism from Republicans in Congress who are opposed to any deal that involves thawing Iranian funds.
#Iran #year #negotiations #American #prisoners #held #Evin #prison #released