Four men and one woman prisoners were released from Tehran, Iran when the US released nearly $5.9 billion worth of assets that Iran earned by selling oil to South Korea.
A Qatari jet containing the freed prisoners along with a Qatari ambassador took off from Iran earlier to the US. Interestingly, the prisoners hold Iranian passports.
According to the officials, the cash reached Qatar, which was a key element according to the agreement.
Nasser Kannani, spokesman from the Iranian Foreign Ministry was the first to nod that the swap would take place on Monday. He also informed that the cash sought in the exchange, which was held by South Korea, was now in Qatar.
Additionally, five Iranian prisoners have also been released by the US.
“On the subject of the prisoner swap, it will happen today and five prisoners, citizens of the Islamic Republic, will be released from the prisons in the US,” said Nasser.
However, two of the Iranian prisoners will stay in the U.S., informed the spokesman.
“Five imprisoned citizens who were in Iran will be given to the US side,” he added.
Here’s a list of the prisoners that have now been freed:
- Siamak Namazi was detained in 2015 and later sentenced to 10 years in prison on spying charges
- Emad Shaghi who is a venture capitalist was sentenced to 10 years in prison
- Morad Tahbaz of Iranian descent, who is a British-American conservationist was also sentenced to 10 years in prison after being arrested in 2018
- As per abcNEWS the other two prisoners, a man and a woman have asked that their identity not be made public.
All these charges have come to be widely criticised by the prisoner’s families, activists and the American government.
While earlier Iran had anticipated getting a whopping $7 billion, Iran’s Central Bank Chief, Mohammad Reza Farzin, came on state television to announce the receipt of -$5.9 billion- in accounts in Qatar.