Iran transfers 5 Iranian-American prisoners
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Iran has transferred five Iranian-Americans from prison to house arrest in exchange for billions of dollars frozen in South Korea, US and Iranian officials said Thursday, in a deal that comes after months of heightened tensions between the two countries.
Iranian officials at the United Nations confirmed the terms to The Associated Press, saying that the prisoner transfer “marks a significant initial step in the implementation of this agreement.”
Iran also acknowledged that the deal involved $6 billion to $7 billion that were frozen as a result of sanctions. The UN mission said the money would be transferred to Qatar before being sent on to Iran if the agreement goes through.
The final transfer of the money — and the ultimate release of the five detainees — is expected in the next month or so due to the complicated nature of the financial transactions, officials said.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he hoped the transfer would eventually lead to the prisoners being returned to the US.
“My belief is that this is the beginning of the end of their nightmare and the nightmare that their families have experienced,” Blinken said, adding that more work would be necessary to make that happen.
The deal unfolded amid a major American military buildup in the Persian Gulf, with the possibility of US troops boarding and guarding commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz, through which 20% of all oil shipments pass.
The agreement is bound to open US President Joe Biden’s administration to fresh criticism from Republicans and others that it is helping boost the Iranian economy at a time when Iran poses a growing threat to US troops and Mideast allies.
US-based lawyer Jared Genser, who represents one of the prisoners, said the five will likely be held at a hotel under guard. There are “simply no guarantees about what happens from here,” he said.