- Iran Releases Five Dual Nationals into House Detention
- Release Mediated by Third Country, Frozen Funds in South Korea Unblocked
- Efforts to Secure Their Release Ongoing for Years, Details of Deal Uncertain
US officials say that Iran has released five dual nationals into house detention.
A counsel for one of the men stated that Siamak Namazi, Emad Shargi, and Morad Tahbaz, who also possesses a British passport, were released alongside a fourth unidentified man.
A fifth American has been liberated, according to a US national security official.
Iran and the United States had held discussions to secure their release.
“While this is a positive development, these American citizens should have never been detained in the first place,” said Adrienne Watson, a spokesperson for the National Security Council.
“Of course, we will not rest until they are all back home in the United States,” she continued.
State media reports that the Iranian mission to the UN approved the release of dual nationals from Tehran’s Evin jail.
It stated that the agreement was “mediated by a third country” and that, as part of it, frozen funds in South Korea would be “unblocked and transferred to Qatar,” according to Reuters and IRNA.
Also the Iranian funds reportedly blocked in South Korea are valued at approximately $6 billion (£4.7 billion).
Babak, the brother of Mr. Namazi, stated, “While this is a positive development, we will continue to calculate the days until Siamak and others can return home.
The 51-year-old was apprehended for the first time in 2015 and sentenced to 10 years in prison for security-related offenses.
Following his arrest in April 2018, the sister of 58-year-old Mr. Shargi stated that she “has faith in the work of President Biden and government officials” to secure his release.
In January 2018, 67-year-old animal conservationist and businessman Mr. Tahbaz was arrested in a crackdown on environmental campaigners.
In recent years, Iran has arrested and imprisoned several dual nationals, typically on national security allegations.
Two of the five individuals released, according to State Department spokesman Matthew Miller, “prefer to maintain their privacy.”
He continued, “We are in contact with the families of the affected US citizens, and we continue to closely monitor their health and welfare.
Attempts to release them as part of a prisoner transfer with Iranians in American and other Western prisons. Also the easing of US sanctions against Iran, have been ongoing for years.
Reuters, citing sources close to the negotiations, reported that the US citizens’ departure from Iran could still take several weeks.
The New York Times reported that Iranian prisoners in US prisons could be freed as part of the deal. The White House has not confirmed what it gave Tehran for the inmates’ release.
