Four Americans who were jailed in Iran were transferred to house arrest following hectic parleys between both countries that involved a deal to unlock Tehran’s billions of dollars that are frozen in South Korea, US due to the sanctions.
On Thursday, four prisoners—Siamak Namazi, Emad Shargi, Morad Tahbaz, and a fourth American who has not been identified publicly – were transferred out of Tehran’s notorious Evin Prison, the White House confirmed, according to CNN.
The fifth American, who also has not been identified, was already under house arrest, CNN reported quoting an unnamed official familiar with the negotiations.
All of the detained Americans are of Iranian descent, but Iran does not recognise dual nationality.
Around $6 to $7bn locked
Iran also acknowledged the transfer of prisoners, AP news agency reported, adding that the deal involved $6 billion to $7 billion that was frozen as a result of sanctions.
The UN mission said the money would be transferred to Qatar before being sent on to Iran if the agreement goes through.
It is currently unknown how much time it will take to complete the whole process, but the Times of Israel newspaper quoting officials reported that the transfer of money and the eventual release of the five detainees is expected in the next month or so due to the complicated nature of the financial transactions.
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US-based lawyer Jared Genser, who represents one of the prisoners, said the five may be kept at a hotel with heavy guards.
“While I hope this will be the first step to their ultimate release, this is at best the beginning of the end and nothing more. But there are simply no guarantees about what happens from here,” Genser told AP.
US seeks ultimate release of all 5 detainees
The Permanent Mission of Iran to the United Nations in a statement said that “as part of a humanitarian cooperation agreement mediated by a third-party government, Iran and the US have agreed to reciprocally release and pardon five prisoners.”
“The transfer of these prisoners to out of prison marks a significant initial step in the implementation of this agreement,” they said.
There have been no formal diplomatic ties between US and Iran since 1980 and all official communications are conducted through indirect channels.
According to reports, these negotiations were brokered primarily by Oman and Qatar, with the United Arab Emirates, Iraq and Switzerland also providing assistance.
State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said the Americans “must be allowed to depart Iran and reunite with their loved ones as soon as possible.”
Siamak Namazi was detained in 2015 and later sentenced to 10 years in prison on alleged spying charges. Sharghi, a venture capitalist, was sentenced to 10 years; and Morad Tahbaz, a British-American conservationist of Iranian descent, was arrested in 2018 and also received a 10-year sentence.
Iran, meanwhile, has said it seeks the release of Iranian prisoners held in the US.
(With inputs from agencies)
