Iran announces prisoner swap with US

According to the foreign minister, Iran should Hossein Amiraptullahian A prisoner exchange agreement was reached with the United States. The White House He immediately refused. “These reports are false,” it said in Washington on Sunday.

“In the past few days, we have reached an agreement with the United States regarding the exchange of prisoners,” the Iranian minister said on Sunday, according to a report by state news agency ISNA. If “all goes well”, the exchange will happen in the next few days.

Enemies for decades

The two states have been enemies of each other for decades. Iran continues to detain foreigners on charges of espionage or other national security violations. Human rights activists criticize the procedures, which are often negotiated behind closed doors, as unfair.

The Islamic Republic has also been accused of holding foreigners hostage. The prisoner swap could lead to the resumption of talks over Iran’s nuclear program, which have been deadlocked for months. Iran needs deal to end economic crisis

Siamak Namasi

One of Iran’s best-known prisoners is businessman Siamak Namasi, who holds dual citizenship. The 51-year-old was jailed with his father in 2015 and later sentenced to 10 years for espionage. Bagar Namasi is slated to release in 2022 under a deal with the US. However, his son is still in the notorious Evin prison in the capital, Tehran.

Kamran Khaderi, an Austrian-Iranian dual citizen, has also been imprisoned in Iran for several years. An Austrian arrested in Iran in October was sentenced to seven and a half years in prison for espionage. Masoud Mozaheb, general secretary of the Austro-Iranian Society, who was arrested during a visit to Tehran in early 2019, was placed on medical leave in November for health reasons.