Iran has expressed its readiness to implement the terms of an agreement with the United States involving a prisoner swap and the restoration of access to Iranian assets. This announcement was made by Iranian Foreign Minister Hosein Amir Abdollahian during a telephone conversation with the Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman Al-Thani, with Qatar acting as a mediator in the negotiations.
In a statement issued by Iran's foreign ministry after the conversation, the Iranian minister "emphasized Iran's willingness to proceed with the scheduled prisoner exchange between Iran and the United States, with the participation of the Qatari government." He also "expressed his deep appreciation" for Doha's role in facilitating the months-long negotiations that led to the agreement.
In response, Sheikh Mohammed confirmed that the process of transferring Iran's unblocked assets to Qatari banks would be finalized in the coming week.
According to Bloomberg, the most likely date for the prisoner swap is September 18. Earlier statements from Iran's Foreign Ministry indicated that the exchange would take place in the near future.
On August 10, The New York Times reported that the US and Iran had reached an agreement on a prisoner swap. The White House later confirmed the agreement but awaited the return of its citizens from Iran before making a final announcement.
The prisoner swap agreement reportedly involves a five-for-five exchange, and as part of the deal, Iran will regain access to $6 billion that had been frozen in South Korean bank accounts due to US sanctions. These Iranian assets will be unblocked and transferred to Qatar.
Following the US withdrawal from the nuclear deal, Iran faced severe sanctions, including restrictions on major importers of Iranian oil, such as South Korea. South Korea had frozen around $7 billion in Iranian funds that were owed for past oil shipments, following US Treasury Department orders. These funds will now be unblocked and transferred to Qatar as part of the prisoner swap agreement.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: Russian Foreign Ministry
Based on materials from TASS