Iran Releases 5 U.S. Prisoners In Swap, Official Says
1 year, 3 months ago

Iran Releases 5 U.S. Prisoners In Swap, Official Says

Huff Post  

LOADING ERROR LOADING DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Five prisoners sought by the U.S. in a swap with Iran flew out of Tehran on Monday, an official said. Despite the deal, tensions are almost certain to remain high between the U.S. and Iran, which are locked in various disputes, including over Tehran’s nuclear program. via Associated Press Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani was the first to acknowledge the swap would take place Monday. The official said that both Iranian and U.S. officials had been notified by Qatar that the money had been transferred to the Gulf Arab nation, which serves as a go-between for the U.S. and Iran.

Prisoners South Korea Nuclear Program Iran Washington Tehran Iranian Official Qatar Qatar Airways Exchange Swap Kanaani  nuclear  program  tehran  exchange  iran  iranian  irans  prisoners  official  qatar  releases  swap

History of this topic

Iran’s president insists Tehran wants to negotiate over its nuclear program
3 months, 3 weeks ago

Iran’s president insists Tehran wants to negotiate over its nuclear program

Associated Press  

TEHRAN, Iran — Iran’s new reformist president insisted Monday that Tehran didn’t want to enrich uranium at near-weapons grade levels but had been forced to by the U.S. withdrawal from its nuclear deal with world powers. They tore them, they forced us to do something.” He added: “If they don’t continue, we will not continue,” Pezeshkian’s comments came as Iran …

US and Iran negotiate rare prisoner swap as Washington releases $US6 billion in frozen assets
1 year, 3 months ago

US and Iran negotiate rare prisoner swap as Washington releases $US6 billion in frozen assets

ABC  

Five US citizens have left Iran and landed in Doha in a prisoner swap for five Iranians held in the United States, and the transfer of $US6 billion in frozen Iranian assets. Key points: 10 Iranian and US prisoners are being swapped in a rare deal between the two nations The US will also transfer $US6 billion to Iran as …

Iran Hopes for Prisoner Swap with US on Monday as $6B Frozen Funds Access Looms
1 year, 3 months ago

Iran Hopes for Prisoner Swap with US on Monday as $6B Frozen Funds Access Looms

News 18  

Iran hopes that a prisoner swap with the United States will go ahead Monday, once Tehran gains access to $6 billion frozen by US ally South Korea, the Iranian foreign ministry said. Under the deal, which Washington and Tehran have previously confirmed, Iran would release five US citizens from detention and, Iran said, the United States would release five Iranians. …

Five Americans detained in Iran walk free, released in deal for frozen Iranian assets
1 year, 3 months ago

Five Americans detained in Iran walk free, released in deal for frozen Iranian assets

Associated Press  

DOHA, Qatar — Five Americans detained for years in Iran walked off a plane and into freedom Monday, most arm-in-arm, as part of a politically risky deal that saw President Joe Biden agree to the release of nearly $6 billion in frozen Iranian assets owed by a third country, South Korea. “Today, five innocent Americans who were imprisoned in Iran …

5 Americans freed in controversial Iran prisoner swap are back on U.S. soil
1 year, 3 months ago

5 Americans freed in controversial Iran prisoner swap are back on U.S. soil

LA Times  

From left, in blazers, Emad Sharghi, Morad Tahbaz and Siamak Namazi, former prisoners in Iran, disembark a plane that brought them out of Tehran and to Doha, Qatar, on Monday. “Today, five innocent Americans who were imprisoned in Iran are finally coming home,” Biden said in a statement Monday. Namazi’s father, Baquer, was also arrested by Iran in 2016 when …

Who are the five American prisoners freed in the Iran-US prisoner swap?
1 year, 3 months ago

Who are the five American prisoners freed in the Iran-US prisoner swap?

Al Jazeera  

Siamak Namazi, Emad Shargi and Morad Tahbaz are among US prisoners being released in deal, White House confirms. Five US citizens have been flown out of Iran as part of a widely anticipated prisoner swap deal between Washington and Tehran, a United States official confirmed. The White House has named three of the prisoners, who were released to house arrest …

Iran-US prisoner swap under way
1 year, 3 months ago

Iran-US prisoner swap under way

Al Jazeera  

Five American and five Iranian prisoners are being released in addition to Iran’s assets frozen due to US sanctions. Tehran, Iran – Iran has released five American prisoners, moving them to Tehran’s airport for a flight to the Qatari capital, Doha, as part of a prisoner exchange with the United States. The funds were frozen for years in South Korea …

US-Iran prisoner swap ‘important first step’ but tensions remain: Analysts
1 year, 3 months ago

US-Iran prisoner swap ‘important first step’ but tensions remain: Analysts

Al Jazeera  

A major diplomatic breakthrough between Tehran and Washington remains unlikely before 2024 US election, experts say. Alex Vatanka, director of the Iran programme at the Middle East Institute think tank in Washington, DC, called the prisoner exchange a “transactional deal”. Sina Toossi, a senior fellow at the Center for International Policy think tank in Washington, DC, said while it remains …

US and Iran release prisoners after $6bn transfer
1 year, 3 months ago

US and Iran release prisoners after $6bn transfer

Al Jazeera  

Prisoner exchange includes five Iranians and five Americans, as $6bn in Iranian assets are unfrozen. ‘Grateful’ Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi said the release of five American detainees by Tehran was “purely a humanitarian action”. “I am grateful to our partners at home and abroad for their tireless efforts to help us achieve this outcome, including the governments of Qatar, Oman, …

US announces new Iran sanctions as prisoner swap looms
1 year, 3 months ago

US announces new Iran sanctions as prisoner swap looms

Al Jazeera  

Washington targets Iranian officials and state-linked media outlets on first anniversary of Mahsa Amini’s death. “As we approach one year since Mahsa Amini’s tragic and senseless death in the custody of Iran’s so-called ‘Morality Police,’ we recall that the movement of men and women across Iran … was met with horrific violence,” US Treasury official Brian Nelson said in a …

Iran ready to implement prisoner swap deal with US, official says
1 year, 3 months ago

Iran ready to implement prisoner swap deal with US, official says

Al Jazeera  

Under the Qatar-mediated deal, five prisoners would be freed by each side and $6bn in Iranian assets would be released. Iran’s foreign minister has said his country is ready to implement a Qatar-mediated deal with the United States, under which Washington and Tehran each would free five prisoners and $6bn in Iranian assets held in South Korea would be released. …

Analysis: Iran-US prisoner swap for billions reveals familiar limits of diplomacy between nations
1 year, 3 months ago

Analysis: Iran-US prisoner swap for billions reveals familiar limits of diplomacy between nations

Associated Press  

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — American captives could be exchanged for billions of dollars of frozen Iranian assets, even as critics back in Washington warn against dealing with Tehran. In 1981, Iranian negotiator Behzad Nabavi described the deal freeing the Americans held as rubbing “in the dirt the nose of the world’s biggest oppressor and superpower, thus forcing it to …

Iran identifies 5 prisoners it wants from US in swap for Iranian-Americans and billions in assets
1 year, 3 months ago

Iran identifies 5 prisoners it wants from US in swap for Iranian-Americans and billions in assets

Associated Press  

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Iran on Tuesday identified the five prisoners it hopes to see freed in the United States in exchange for five Iranian-Americans now held in Tehran and billions in assets once held by South Korea. The five sought by the Iranians are: — Kaveh Lotfolah Afrasiabi, an Iranian charged in 2021 with allegedly failing to register …

US defends prisoner swap deal with Iran against Republican attacks
1 year, 3 months ago

US defends prisoner swap deal with Iran against Republican attacks

Al Jazeera  

Washington stresses that funds set to be unblocked to secure the release of detained Americans are Tehran’s own. Washington, DC – United States President Joe Biden’s administration has defended a looming prisoner swap deal with Iran against growing criticism from Republican legislators who say it will bolster the Iranian government. US Department of State spokesperson Matthew Miller said on Tuesday …

What’s happening with the Iran-US prisoner swap deal?
1 year, 3 months ago

What’s happening with the Iran-US prisoner swap deal?

Al Jazeera  

Tehran and Washington are expected to exchange prisoners after Iran regains access to its blocked money. Tehran, Iran – A prisoner exchange deal between Iran and the United States looks like it’s on track, promising to release 10 people and billions of dollars of frozen assets. As part of the deal, five US prisoners held in Iran will be exchanged …

The US moves to advance a prisoner swap deal with Iran and release $6 billion in frozen funds
1 year, 3 months ago

The US moves to advance a prisoner swap deal with Iran and release $6 billion in frozen funds

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — The Biden administration has cleared the way for the release of five American citizens detained in Iran by issuing a blanket waiver for international banks to transfer $6 billion in frozen Iranian money from South Korea to Qatar without fear of U.S. sanctions. On X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa said “it’s …

U.S. moves to advance prisoner swap and release $6 billion in frozen Iranian funds
1 year, 3 months ago

U.S. moves to advance prisoner swap and release $6 billion in frozen Iranian funds

LA Times  

The Biden administration has cleared the way for the release of five American citizens detained in Iran by issuing a blanket waiver for international banks to transfer $6 billion in frozen Iranian money from South Korea to Qatar without fear of U.S. sanctions. The transfer of the $6 billion was the critical element in the prisoner release deal, which saw …

US-Iran prisoner swap deal is ‘on track’, says White House official
1 year, 4 months ago

US-Iran prisoner swap deal is ‘on track’, says White House official

Al Jazeera  

Agreement is ‘proceeding’ but there is no exact timetable for swap, says US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan. White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan has said that a prisoner swap deal between the United States and Iran is “on track”, less than two weeks after Tehran moved five detained US citizens to house arrest. But we believe that that …

Iran moves US citizens to house arrest in first step of release deal
1 year, 4 months ago

Iran moves US citizens to house arrest in first step of release deal

Firstpost  

As a first step in what may be a complex set of maneuvers, Iran allowed four detained US citizens to move into house arrest from Tehran’s Evin prison, a lawyer for one said. A fifth was already under home confinement Iran may free five detained US citizens as part of a deal under which $6 billion in Iranian funds in …

‘Important step’: What we know about tentative US-Iran prisoner deal
1 year, 4 months ago

‘Important step’: What we know about tentative US-Iran prisoner deal

Al Jazeera  

More details have slowly begun to emerge of a tentative deal that would see the United States and Iran engage in a prisoner swap in exchange for giving the Iranian government access to billions of dollars in frozen funds. On Friday, Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement that the “process of releasing several billion dollars of Iranian …

Iran transfers 5 Iranian-Americans from prison to house arrest in step toward deal for full release
1 year, 5 months ago

Iran transfers 5 Iranian-Americans from prison to house arrest in step toward deal for full release

Associated Press  

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Iran has moved five Iranian-Americans from prison to house arrest in exchange for billions of dollars frozen in South Korea, U.S. and Iranian officials said Thursday, as part of a tentative deal that follows months of heightened tensions between the two countries. Iran, meanwhile, has said it seeks the release of Iranian prisoners held in …

Iran says 'everything ready' for prisoner swap, US denies
1 year, 9 months ago

Iran says 'everything ready' for prisoner swap, US denies

Hindustan Times  

Iran and the United States have reached an agreement to exchange prisoners, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian told state TV on Sunday, but Washington denied it as a "false" claim by Tehran. A White House official denied Amirabdollahian's statement about the prisoner swap with Washington, adding that the United States was committed to securing the release of Americans held in …

US issues more Iran sanctions amid stalled diplomacy
1 year, 10 months ago

US issues more Iran sanctions amid stalled diplomacy

Al Jazeera  

New measures target Iranian oil and petrochemical sales, as US says it is committed to reducing Iran’s energy exports. “The United States is committed to significantly reducing Iranian energy exports and will sanction those facilitating Iran’s petroleum and petrochemical trade,” the State Department said. “We will not hesitate to take action against those who try to circumvent our sanctions.” Iran …

Iran blames US for delay in prisoner swap deal
1 year, 10 months ago

Iran blames US for delay in prisoner swap deal

Al Jazeera  

It remains unclear whether an agreement can be finalised as Tehran maintains Washington is acting in bad faith. Tehran, Iran – Iran has blamed the United States for failing to reach an agreement over a prisoner swap deal amid reports that progress had been made after a lull of several months. Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanani on Monday told …

Iran executes four accused of working with Israeli intelligence
2 years, 1 month ago

Iran executes four accused of working with Israeli intelligence

Al Jazeera  

The individuals allegedly received payment in cryptocurrencies to buy weapons and engage in kidnappings. Tehran, Iran – Iran has executed four people and handed prison sentences to three others accused of working with Israeli intelligence. The four individuals – identified as Hossein Ordoukhanzadeh, Shahin Imani Mahmoudabad, Milad Ashrafi Atbatan, and Manouchehr Shahbandi Bojandi – were hanged early on Sunday, according …

Germany sees ‘moment of truth’ for Iran nuclear talks
2 years, 10 months ago

Germany sees ‘moment of truth’ for Iran nuclear talks

Al Jazeera  

German chancellor says there is now an opportunity for a deal to be reached and sanctions lifted, while Iran says ‘never been this close to a deal’. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Saturday “now is the moment of truth” to determine whether Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers can be salvaged, and the Iranian leadership needs to make …

Nuclear deal unlikely unless Iran releases US prisoners: Report
2 years, 11 months ago

Nuclear deal unlikely unless Iran releases US prisoners: Report

Al Jazeera  

US Special Envoy for Iran Robert Malley tells the Reuters news agency agreement ‘hard to imagine’ while four ‘innocent Americans held hostage’. The United States is unlikely to strike a deal with Iran to save the 2015 Iran nuclear agreement unless Tehran releases four US citizens Washington says it is holding hostage, the lead US nuclear negotiator told the Reuters …

Iran backtracks on plans to release Zaghari-Ratcliffe
3 years, 5 months ago

Iran backtracks on plans to release Zaghari-Ratcliffe

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Efforts to release Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe …

After US denied deal, Iran says prisoner swap talks ongoing
3 years, 5 months ago

After US denied deal, Iran says prisoner swap talks ongoing

Associated Press  

TEHRAN, Iran — Iran’s government spokesman said Tuesday that talks with the United States about a prisoner exchange are still ongoing, two months after Washington denied an Iranian report that deals had been struck. State Department spokesman Ned Price said Tuesday that “indirect but active” talks with Iran over prisoners have been going on for some time — and pre-date …

US denies Iran state media report saying prisoner swap agreed
3 years, 8 months ago

US denies Iran state media report saying prisoner swap agreed

Al Jazeera  

Meanwhile, UK downplays Iranian state TV report on Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe’s possible release from prison. The state TV report, quoting the unnamed Iranian official, also said British-Iranian national Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe would be released once Britain had paid off a debt on military equipment owed to Tehran. There is no agreement to release these four Americans.” pic.twitter.com/aLIrHlEneg — Face The Nation May …

Iran wants nationals freed from US jails amid nuclear talks
3 years, 8 months ago

Iran wants nationals freed from US jails amid nuclear talks

Associated Press  

TEHRAN, Iran — Iran said Tuesday it was seeking the release of all Iranian prisoners held in the U.S. amid talks in Vienna meant to bring Tehran and Washington back into the nuclear deal between Iran and world powers. Cabinet spokesman Ali Rabiei also hinted that another exchange of prisoners between Iran and America was possible, saying that “the idea …

Citing coronavirus fear, Iran says it's ready for prisoner swap with US
4 years, 7 months ago

Citing coronavirus fear, Iran says it's ready for prisoner swap with US

India Today  

Iran said it is ready for unconditional prisoner swap talks with the United States because of fears that the coronavirus could put the lives of the prisoners at risk, Iranian media reported on Sunday. Rabiei said Iran considers the US government responsible for the health of the Iranian prisoners, adding that "it seems that the US has more readiness to …

Hard-hit Iran frees more prisoners amid coronavirus outbreak
4 years, 9 months ago

Hard-hit Iran frees more prisoners amid coronavirus outbreak

Al Jazeera  

Judiciary says overall figure of those briefly released is 85,000, has taken measures in jails to protect against virus. The announcement on Tuesday came after the judiciary said last week that 70,000 prisoners had temporarily been released, mostly non-violent offenders serving short prison sentences. “Also in the jails, we have taken precautionary measures to confront the outbreak.” Reporting from Tehran, …

UN urges Iran to free political prisoners amid coronavirus spread
4 years, 10 months ago

UN urges Iran to free political prisoners amid coronavirus spread

Al Jazeera  

Tehran freed 70,000 prisoners to help limit the spread, but UN rapporteur says non-violent offenders must be released. The United Nations special rapporteur on human rights in Iran said he asked Iran to free all political prisoners temporarily from its overcrowded and disease-ridden jails to help stem the spread of the coronavirus. Iran’s judiciary chief said on Monday that authorities …

Iran sentences alleged US spies to up to 10 years in prison
4 years, 10 months ago

Iran sentences alleged US spies to up to 10 years in prison

Associated Press  

TEHRAN, Iran — Iran sentenced eight environmental activists, including an Iranian who reportedly also has British and American citizenship, to prison sentences ranging from four to 10 years on charges of spying for the United States and acting against Iran’s national security, the judiciary said Tuesday. In most cases, dual nationals have faced secret charges in closed-door hearings before Iran’s …

U.S. hits Iran with new sanctions, hopes for prisoner dialogue
5 years ago

U.S. hits Iran with new sanctions, hopes for prisoner dialogue

The Hindu  

The Trump administration on Wednesday hit Iran with new sanctions that target several transportation firms as it continues its “maximum pressure campaign” against the Islamic Republic over its nuclear and ballistic missile programs. Alireza Miryousefi, a spokesman for Iran’s U.N. Mission, tweeted later Wednesday- “These sanctions are directly targeting ordinary Iranians’ livelihood, but they will not be cowed by pressures …

Iran ready for more prisoner swaps with US, not negotiations
5 years, 1 month ago

Iran ready for more prisoner swaps with US, not negotiations

Associated Press  

TEHRAN, Iran — Iran is ready for more prisoner swaps with the United States, the Cabinet spokesman said Monday even as he reiterated the Iranian leadership’s stance that there will be no other negotiations between Tehran and Washington. Rabiei said any further negotiations would be possible through the so-called 5+1 framework — a reference to the five permanent U.N. Security …

Iran sends US list of names for its proposed prisoner swap
5 years, 2 months ago

Iran sends US list of names for its proposed prisoner swap

Associated Press  

TEHRAN, Iran — Iran’s foreign ministry said Monday it has sent the United States a list of names it is demanding in a proposed prisoner swap, opening a potential new channel with Washington amid recent growing tensions. Iran did not detail the names it relayed, but Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said he hoped to hear soon “good news” about …

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