LAccording to media reports, the United States and Iran have reached a prisoner swap agreement that, if successful, would see Washington release $6 billion in Iranian oil proceeds for humanitarian purposes. As part of this, five incarcerated Americans were released from the notorious Evin prison in Tehran on Thursday and placed under house arrest.
This was reported by the US-based lawyer for one of the prisoners who had been detained on charges of espionage. After a few weeks in a hotel in the Iranian capital, the Americans are apparently allowed to leave the country. However, there are no guarantees, the lawyer emphasized.
Six billion dollars for Tehran
The Joe Biden government has not yet commented on the agreement. According to the New York Times, however, a handful of Iranian citizens who are serving prison sentences for violating sanctions against Iran are to be released in return. According to people familiar with the events, Iran may only call off the promised billions under certain conditions.
For example, six billion dollars in Iranian oil revenues are to be released in South Korea, which have not been able to be transferred to Iran for years due to American sanctions. These are to go to the central bank of Qatar, where the Qatari government controls that the money is only used for food, medicine or other humanitarian purposes.
The move comes at a time of strained relations between Iran and the United States. Washington deployed additional fighter jets and a destroyer to the Middle East in response to “alarming” incidents in July. Iranian units had previously attacked merchant ships in the Strait of Hormuz. In March, Washington called the Iranian foreign minister’s announcement of a prisoner swap a “cruel lie”. On Tuesday, however, Tehran said it had been communicating with the United States about Qatar and Oman for months. Washington has no official diplomatic relations with Iran.
For President Biden, such a prisoner swap could be politically sensitive. The most recent major exchange of detainees in 2016 had brought Barack Obama heavy criticism from the Republican side. Next November, Biden will likely have to face Donald Trump again in the presidential election.
#Iran #agree #prisoner #swap