The U.S. appears to be planning a prisoner exchange with Iran. In addition, the country has apparently allowed South Korea to release frozen Iranian funds.
Like tagessschau.de reported The Washington Post, citing government sources, the U.S. government has granted an exemption for banks to transfer frozen Iranian assets without fear of sanctions. “Permission to transfer these funds from frozen Iranian accounts in the Republic of Korea to accounts in Qatar for humanitarian purposes is necessary to facilitate the release of these U.S. citizens,” a U.S. document said. This, according to the Reuters news agency, was able to see. U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken speaks of the lifting of sanctions as being in the interest of U.S. national security, as the transfer of funds would only bring “limited benefit” to Iran.
Negotiations have been taking place for weeks
The U.S. and Iran have been negotiating a planned prisoner exchange for several weeks. In Iran, several U.S. citizens had been released from prison in August and transferred to so-called house arrest. According to media reports, five individuals with U.S. citizenship will be allowed to leave Iran as part of the exchange. In return, the Iranian government is demanding about six billion U.S. dollars and the release of five Iranians imprisoned in the United States. Details of the agreement are still being worked out, according to the Washington Post.
Image: U.S. Secretary of Defense, 210210-D-BN624-0931 (50933973608), CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (image size modified)
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