US President Joe Biden (80) - His administration "will not rest until they are all back home in the United States," according to a White House spokeswoman.
DLnews Staff:
US President Joe Biden (80) has signed an explosive agreement with Iran. Five US prisoners will be allowed out of the mullahs' state if Tehran gets access to $6 billion.
The gigantic sum is currently in a restricted bank account in South Korea, to which the heavily sanctioned mullahs' regime has no access. It is Iranian oil revenue. However, the money can only be used for humanitarian purposes, according to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (61).
He also clarified: "In any case, Iran will not receive any relief from sanctions."
The transfer will take place in the coming weeks. Probably to Qatar, officials from two countries allied with the West told CBS News. Iranian media presented the negotiations with the USA as a victory for the conservative government of President Ebrahim Raisi (62). They described the deal as "honorable diplomacy."
Who are the prisoners?
The prisoners are Morad Tahbaz (67), Emad Shargi (58) and Siamak Namazi (51). Two other US citizens wish to remain anonymous. This is reported by a source familiar with the agreement.
Roxanne Tahbaz holds a picture of her father, Morad Tahbaz, during a protest in London.
MoradTahbaz is a United States, United Kingdom, and Iran citizen. The environmentalist and eight of his colleagues were arrested in January 2018. They deployed camera traps to monitor endangered species. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards interpreted this as espionage.
Emad Shargi and his wife were detained while entering Iran in April 2018. Finally, in November 2020, the businessman was sentenced without a trial to 10 years in prison for alleged espionage.
Siamak Namazi (51) is believed to be the longest-held US citizen in Iran. He has been behind bars for almost eight years. In 2015 he was arrested on a business trip. The Iranian authorities accused him of "relations with an enemy state."
In a CNN interview, Namazi appealed to President Biden: "Just do what is necessary to end this nightmare and get us home."
After more than two years of negotiations, Iran released the prisoners under house arrest on Thursday. They were transferred from the notorious Evin prison to a hotel in Tehran. The dual nationals will stay there for several weeks before they can board the plane, according to Namazi's lawyer.
Share this page with your family and friends.