Iran sets no preconditions for prisoner swap: Amir-Abdollahian
2 Min Read
The Iranian FM says messages have been exchanged between Iran and the US through Oman and Qatar for some months regarding prisoner exchange.
-
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian is seen before a meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at Kishida's office in Tokyo Monday, Aug. 7, 2023 (Issei Kato/Pool Photo via AP)
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian stressed on Tuesday that Iran does not set preconditions regarding the exchange of prisoners with the United States, adding that Tehran views swapping prisoners as a humanitarian action and does not link humanitarian issues with politics, Iranian media reported.
On the sidelines of the "Iran and BRICS" conference in Tehran, Amir-Abdollahian revealed that "messages have been exchanged between Iran and the US through Oman and Qatar for some months."
"We have told the mediators that Iran could exchange prisoners within the agreed framework," the top Iranian diplomat said.
Earlier, White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan confirmed indirect negotiations between US President Joe Biden's administration and Tehran aimed at releasing Americans detained in Iran.
The Iranian Foreign Ministry had confirmed that in March 2022, a written agreement was signed with Washington regarding the exchange of prisoners through mediators.
In mid-February, NBC News cited four sources as saying that "the Biden administration is holding indirect discussions with Iran on a possible prisoner exchange in a bid to secure the release of American citizens imprisoned in Iran, with Qatar and the United Kingdom playing an intermediary role in the talks."
It is noteworthy that on August 17, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Nasser Kanaani expressed Iran's readiness to exchange prisoners with the United States.
