Iran expressed optimism on Monday that a prisoner swap with the US would happen later in the day after Tehran has access to $6 billion that US ally South Korea has frozen.
Iran hopes US prisoner swap: According to the agreement, which Washington and Tehran have already announced, Iran would free five detained US individuals and the US, according to Iran, would free five Iranians.
The release of the $6 billion that South Korea had long been forced to keep frozen due to US sanctions so that it could be transferred to a Qatari account for the purchase of humanitarian aid was also agreed upon by the US and Iran.
At a press briefing in Tehran, Nasser Kanani, the spokesman for Iran’s foreign ministry, stated, “We hope to have complete access to the Iranian assets today.”
Five Iranian people who are detained in America will be freed on the same day as the prisoner exchange.
Iran and the United governments do not maintain diplomatic ties, therefore the exchange was mediated by Gulf governments.
Iran had made the $6 billion through oil sales to South Korea, which froze the money after the United States, during the administration of former president Donald Trump, reinstituted sanctions as he withdrew from a significant nuclear agreement.
The five Americans were released to house arrest after the settlement was reached last month. Tehran, which disapproves of dual nationality, regards them all as Iranian citizens.
Charges of spying
Siamak Namazi, a businessman detained in 2015 on suspicion of spying—charges that his family has vigorously denied—is one of the Americans.
Morad Tahbaz, an advocate for wildlife conservation, Emad Sharqi, a venture capitalist, and two more people who preferred to remain nameless round out the group.
The five Iranian inmates were recognised by the official IRNA news agency last week.
Among them are Reza Sarhangpour and Kambiz Attar Kashani, who are both charged with breaking US sanctions imposed on Tehran.
According to US sources, Kaveh Lotfolah Afrasiabi, a third prisoner, was taken into custody at his house close to Boston in 2021 and accused of being an Iranian government spy.
The agreement also purportedly involved Mehrdad Moein Ansari and Amin Hasanzadeh, who were rumoured to have connections to the Iranian security apparatus.
Two of the five Iranians who will be freed will go back to Iran, while the other two, at their wish, will stay in the United States, according to Kanani.
He stated that a fifth prisoner from Iran would visit a third nation.
nuclear conflict
The White House has denied that the Iranian cash’ unfreezing amounted to a ransom payment.
Iran, which has had a sour relationship with the US ever since its 1979 Islamic Revolution toppled its pro-Western king, disputes that expenditure limitations have been put in place.
The money, according to Iran’s Kanani, will enable Tehran to “purchase all non-sanctioned goods,” not only food and medicine.
Biden entered office with the intention of reviving the historic nuclear agreement of 2015, which called for Iran to limit its disputed nuclear programme in exchange for the lifting of sanctions.
However, despite months of negotiations, little progress was made.
A year ago, demonstrations erupt in Iran after Mahsa Amini, who had been detain for allegedly disobeying the nation’s Islamic dress code, died while in detention, further reducing the likelihood of a settlement.
Just a few days have passed since the first anniversary of her passing. Both Biden and Iran’s president, Ebrahim Raisi, are in New York for the UN General Assembly, but they are not expect to interact.