Five American prisoners and five Iranian prisoners have been released as part of a high-profile prisoner exchange mediated by Qatar. Both Americans and Iranians arrived safely today to their homelands. The agreement between the US and Iran has also seen $6bn in Iranian assets held in South Korea unfrozen, triggering the prisoner exchange.
HDN Newsroom
The five freed Iranians have been granted clemency by US President Joe Biden.
The United States and Iran freed 10 people on Monday in a high-stakes prisoner swap that signaled a partial thaw in the icy relations between the longtime adversaries.
Five American citizens held in Iran made a brief stop in the Persian Gulf nation of Qatar before continuing on to the United States. The U.S. government, in exchange, released five Iranians and unblocked the transfer of $6 billion in frozen Iranian oil funds held in South Korea.
The deal, negotiated over several months, marks a major breakthrough for the bitter foes who remain at odds over a range of issues, including the rapid expansion of Tehran’s nuclear program, its ongoing military support for Russia and Iran’s harsh crackdown on internal dissent.
The arrangement took place hours after President Biden and Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi arrived in New York to attend a gathering of world leaders at the U.N. General Assembly. The two leaders are not scheduled to meet.
Biden, in a statement, said that the Americans freed by Iran had endured “years of agony, uncertainty, and suffering.” He thanked U.S. allies for their help in freeing the prisoners and warned all U.S. citizens not to travel to Iran.
The agreement between the US and Iran has also seen $6bn in Iranian assets held in South Korea unfrozen, triggering the prisoners' exchange.
“Fortunately Iran’s frozen assets in South Korea were released and God willing today the assets will start to be fully controlled by the government and the nation,” Kanaani said earlier.
Iran’s central bank chief Mohammad Reza Farzin later came on state television to acknowledge the receipt of over 5.5 billion euros ($5.9bn) in accounts in Qatar.
