US announces Iran prisoner swap, $6B in Tehran funds unfrozen

The Biden administration notified Congress Monday that it had agreed to unfreeze approximately $6 billion in Iranian assets in exchange for the release of five American citizens held for years by the theocratic Tehran government.
The deal, which Secretary of State Antony Blinken signed off on late last week, also calls for the freeing of five unidentified Iranians held by the US.
Four of the five American detainees had been moved to house arrest last month from Iran’s notorious Evin prison, in what the White House hailed as a tentative first step as negotiations were finalized. The fifth detainee was already under house arrest.
Emad Shargi is one of five U.S. citizens imprisoned in Iran. Shargi Family Handout
The Associated Press, citing people familiar with the talks, reported that the US prisoners are expected to be released as soon as next week.
Human rights attorney Jared Genser had identified three of the five hostages at the time as Siamak Namazi, businessman Emad Shargi, and environmentalist Morad Tahbaz. The identities of the fourth and fifth person have yet to be made public.
Namazi is one of multiple U.S. citizens being held by held for years by the theocratic Tehran government. Family handout
Namazi was detained in 2015, while Sharghi and the British-American Tahbaz were arrested in 2018. All received 10-year prison sentences on trumped-up espionage charges.
The timing of the notification that $6 billion would be transferred to Iran, a leading sponsor of terror in the Middle East and beyond, on the 22nd anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks, was likely to trigger outrage from Republicans and conservatives.
Morad Tahbaz is one of five U.S. citizens being imprisoned in Tehran. Family handout
The money will be converted by banks in Europe, Asia and the Middle East and transferred to an account at Qatar’s central bank, where it is meant to be used to purchase humanitarian items like food and medicine amid ongoing US sanctions.
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