Iran says it’s prepared for an unconditional prisoner swap with US
Iran is able to conduct an unconditional prisoner swap with the US, its International Ministry spokesman was quoted as saying on Wednesday.
“We’re able to swap prisoners with Washington,” ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani stated, in line with a report in Reuters citing the semi-official Fars Information Company. “The US should launch jailed Iranian residents with none circumstances.”
Tehran is searching for freedom for greater than a dozen Iranians held within the US, amongst them seven twin US-Iranian nationals, two Iranians with everlasting US residency, and 4 Iranian residents who haven’t any standing, in line with Reuters.
Iran is holding a number of US residents or twin nationals on varied expenses that Washington considers trumped up.
The provide for a swap got here the day after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken tweeted that 50-year-old Iranian-American Siamak Namazi has been held by Iran for two,500 days.
“We’re decided to safe his freedom and guarantee all Individuals who’ve been wrongfully detained by Iran, together with his father Baquer, can return residence,” Blinken wrote.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken makes remarks after addressing the 2022 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) overview convention at United Nations Headquarters, Aug. 1, 2022. (Yuki Iwamura/AP)
Namazi, a businessman, was arrested in October 2015 and handed a 10-year sentence on expenses of searching for to overthrow the clerical state, with proof cited together with his fellowships at Washington assume tanks.
His father, former UNICEF official Baquer Namazi, was taken into custody in February 2016 as he tried to see him. In June Namazi implored to US President Joe Biden to assist.
Iran’s elevating of the prisoner challenge comes amid efforts proceed to revive a 2015 settlement with world powers that gave Iran sanctions reduction in return for curbs on its nuclear program to forestall it from acquiring nuclear weapons.
The European Union stated Tuesday it was learning Iran’s response to a “ultimate” draft settlement on reviving the so-called Joint Complete Plan of Motion that it had introduced at talks in Vienna.
The US had already stated Monday that it was informing EU overseas coverage chief Josep Borrell of its response to the textual content he submitted on August 8.
The JCPOA has steadily collapsed for the reason that 2018 withdrawal of america below then-president Donald Trump whose administration reimposed crippling sanctions. Iran responded by ramping up its nuclear program past limits laid down within the settlement and stopping UN monitoring of its actions.
The EU-coordinated negotiations to revive the so-called JCPOA started in April 2021 earlier than coming to a standstill in March.
