Iran: We are ready for prisoner exchange without preconditions

Speaking to the press during a conference called “Iran-BRICS Cooperation and Partnership Outlook” in Iran’s capital Tehran, Iranian Foreign Minister Abdullahiyan assessed a possible prisoner swap between Tehran and Washington.

Stating that they view the prisoner swap as a “human problem”, Abdullahiyan said: “The number is not important, but messages (between Iran and the US) have been exchanged for months through Oman and Qatar. We did not observe “No prerequisites in this regard. We announced to intermediary parties that we would exchange prisoners within the agreed framework,” he said.

THERE ARE PEOPLE IN PRISON IN BOTH COUNTRIES

In the US, some Iranian citizens are accused of violating sanctions and at least 4 US citizens are being held in Iran on espionage charges.

Prisoner exchanges have been done before between the two countries. Finally, a former US soldier jailed in Iran and an Iranian scientist jailed in the US were released simultaneously in June 2020.

In October 2020, 85-year-old Iranian-American citizen Mohammed Bakir Namazi, sentenced to 10 years in prison on espionage charges in Iran, left the country after being released “for humanitarian reasons.”

Namazi’s son, Siyamak Namazi, is currently jailed in Iran for espionage. (AA)