Iran says prisoner swap with U.S. is moving forward | EUROtoday

“Two of the Iranian citizens released in America will return to [Iran]and another person will travel to another country due to the presence of their family, and the other two people will remain in the United States,” Kanaani informed reporters, in line with Iranian state media.

Also Monday, the $6 billion in Iranian funds beforehand held in South Korea arrived in Qatari banks, in line with Kanaani. The transfer is a key situation of the swap.

U.S. advances deal with Iran to swap prisoners, free frozen oil funds

The deal, negotiated over a number of months, marks a serious breakthrough for the bitter foes, who stay at odds over a variety of points, together with the fast enlargement of Tehran’s nuclear program, its ongoing navy assist for Russia and Iran’s harsh crackdown on inside dissent.

The prisoners’ launch has additionally come beneath harsh criticism from Republicans in Congress against any settlement that entails the unfreezing of Iranian funds. Though the cash could also be used just for the acquisition of humanitarian items beneath the settlement, Republicans argue that the Biden administration ought to have negotiated a deal with extra favorable phrases for the United States.

The $6 billion had been held in South Korea, considered one of Iran’s largest oil prospects, on account of a waiver issued by the Trump administration in 2018 that permitted Seoul to proceed buying Iran’s oil. Those funds grew to become caught in 2019 when the Trump administration tightened sanctions on Iran.

Over the previous week, in preparation for the deal to be finalized, these funds had been transformed from Korean foreign money to euros earlier than being moved to accounts in Qatar that can be utilized just for the acquisition of non-sanctioned items, like meals and medication. U.S. officers say they’ll proceed to have oversight of the cash to make sure it is not getting used for nefarious functions.

Before the prisoner deal, the Biden administration’s relations with Tehran had been marked by deep mistrust, largely over the failure to revive a nuclear deal that Biden had promised to resume when he ran for president. Tehran has refused to speak instantly with Washington, requiring third events to dealer discussions.

The United States’ European allies, which broadly assist a revised deal to restrain Tehran’s nuclear program, hope that progress on detainees will pave the best way for extra productive nuclear discussions.

Iran’s nuclear program has expanded considerably following the choice by President Donald Trump to tug the United States out of the 2015 nuclear deal. The accord, cast by the Obama administration, imposed strict limitations on Iran’s program in trade for sanctions reduction.