Nasser Kanaani, the spokesperson for Iran’s Foreign Ministry, confirmed a prisoner exchange set for Monday between the U.S. and Iran.
An informed source, who chose to remain anonymous when speaking to The Associated Press, indicated that both Iranian and U.S. officials were informed by Qatar about the successful transfer of money from Switzerland.
Kanaani announced during a state television press conference, which was abruptly cut off, about the prior freezing of certain Iranian assets in countries, notably South Korea.
He expressed optimism about regaining control over these assets, “We anticipate the full return of these assets to the Iranian government and its people today,” Kanaani emphasized.
He further elaborated on the prisoner exchange, mentioning the release of five Iranian citizens from U.S. prisons, with a reciprocal release from the Iranian side. Notably, two of the Iranian prisoners have chosen to remain in the U.S.
Subsequent to Kanaani’s statement, Iranian news agencies cited him, reiterating the Monday timeline for the prisoner exchange. As of now, no official response has been received from Washington.
Supporting these revelations, flight data unveiled the arrival of a Qatar Airways Airbus A320 at Tehran’s Mehrabad International Airport, historically known for prior prisoner releases. It’s noteworthy that the airline’s commercial operations typically use Tehran’s Imam Khomeini International Airport.
This declaration by Kanaani follows earlier statements from Iran about placing five Iranian Americans under house arrest, seen as a gesture to instill trust.
Meanwhile, Seoul greenlit the conversion of the previously frozen assets in South Korea from the local currency to euros. This converted amount was subsequently dispatched to Qatar, which has been mediating between Tehran and Washington in these discussions.
