Five US detainees flew out of Iran on Monday in exchange for five Iranians jailed in the US, in a rare agreement between the archrivals that also unfroze $6 billion in Tehran’s finances.
A plane dispatched by mediator Qatar took the five US nationals and two of their relatives out of Tehran immediately after both sides received confirmation that the monies had been moved to accounts in Doha, according to a source knowledgeable on the situation.
At the same time, two of the five Iranians arrived in Qatar, according to a US official. Three of them have decided not to return to Iran.
The agreement, reached after months of talks in Qatar, removes a key irritation between the United States, which considers Tehran a terrorist sponsor, and Iran, which calls Washington the “Great Satan”.
They are, however, profoundly split on other matters ranging from Iran’s nuclear program and regional influence to US sanctions and America’s military presence in the Gulf.
According to a senior US administration official, the agreement does not improve Washington’s antagonistic relationship with Tehran but opens the door to diplomacy on Iran’s nuclear program.
“If we see an opportunity, we will explore it but right now, I’ve really nothing to talk about,” the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Americans and Iranians released in prisoner swap with unfrozen funds
The five Americans with dual citizenship are scheduled to fly to Doha and then back to the United States. “They are in good health,” stated an Iranian official briefed on the situation.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Nasser Kanaani, stated that two of the Iranians released would return to Iran, while the other two would remain in the United States at their desire. One captive planned to join his family in a third nation.
Kanaani stated that the cash, which was frozen in South Korea after US sanctions against Iran were tightened in 2018, would be released to Tehran on Monday. Under the terms of the agreement, Qatar will ensure that the funds are spent on humanitarian commodities rather than things subject to US sanctions.
Doha hosted at least eight rounds of talks, with Iranian and US negotiators
Qatar, a tiny but enormously wealthy Gulf Arab energy producer, has pushed to improve its worldwide status by hosting the World Cup last year and establishing a position in international diplomacy. The Sunni Muslim country hosts a large US military facility but also has close connections with Shi’ite Muslim Iran.
According to Reuters, Doha hosted at least eight rounds of talks, with Iranian and US negotiators sitting in separate hotels and communicating by shuttle diplomacy.
The agreement’s transfer of Iran’s funds has sparked criticism from US Republicans, who claim that President Joe Biden, a Democrat, is effectively paying a ransom for US citizens.
Washington lifted sanctions to facilitate the movement of $6 billion in Iranian funds from South Korea to Qatar
Siamak Namazi, 51, and Emad Sharqi, 59, both businesspeople, will be released, as will Morad Tahbaz, 67, an environmentalist who also holds British nationality. Last month, they were released from prison and placed under home arrest.
A fourth American citizen was also placed under house arrest, while a fifth was already there. Their true identities have not been revealed.
Mehrdad Moin-Ansari, Kambiz Attar-Kashani, Reza Sarhangpour-Kafrani, Amin Hassanzadeh, and Kaveh Afrasiabi have been named by Iranian officials as the five Iranians who will be released by the US. Two Iranian officials earlier stated that Afrasiabi would remain in the United States, but no further names were revealed.
Ties between Washington and Tehran have been strained since Republican Donald Trump, pulled the United States out of a nuclear deal between Iran and world powers when he was president in 2018. As Biden prepares for the 2024 presidential election, efforts to reach another nuclear agreement have stalled.
As part of the agreement, Washington lifted sanctions to facilitate the movement of $6 billion in Iranian funds from South Korea to Qatar. When Washington placed sweeping financial sanctions on Tehran, the monies could not be transferred to South Korea, which is generally one of Iran’s top oil clients.