Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza: The total number of Palestinians killed due to famine and malnutrition has risen to 313, including 119 children
Ministry of Health in the Gaza Strip: 10 people, including two children, have died of starvation in the past 24 hours
Al Mayadeen's correspondent in South Lebanon: US envoy Tom Barrack cancels his visit to Tyre and al-Khiam amid popular protests
Al Mayadeen's correspondent in Lebanon: Israeli occupation forces carried out an explosion in the southern border town of Kfar Kila
Russian Ministry of Defense: 37 Ukrainian drones destroyed in 4 hours over regions of Russia and the Black Sea.
Sheikh Qassem: Our supporters make up more than half of Lebanon's population, and all of these people are united under the banner of protecting Lebanon, its Resistance, its people, and its integrity.
Sheikh Qassem: There will be no phased handing in of our arms. [The Israelis] must first enact the agreement before we start talking about a defensive strategy.
Sheikh Qassem: Be brave in the face of foreign pressures, and we will be by your side in this stance.
Sheikh Qassem: Stripping us of our arms is like stripping us of our very soul, and this will prompt us to show them our might.
Sheikh Qassem: We will not abandon our arms, for they gave us dignity; we will not abandon our arms, for they protect us against our enemy.

Unfreezing assets in S.Korea part of prisoner exchange deal

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: Agencies
  • 3 Oct 2022 22:46
  • 1 Shares
3 Min Read

Nour News agency states that the prisoner exchange talks between the US and Iran, through a third country's mediation, include the possibility of releasing frozen Iranian funds.

  • x
  • Central Bank of the Islamic Republic of Iran
    Central Bank of the Islamic Republic of Iran

Iran has recently allowed Iranian-American, Baqer Namazi, 85, to leave the country for medical treatment abroad and released his son, Siamak, 50, from detention. This information has recently emerged as part of the ongoing debate regarding a prisoner exchange deal between Iran and the US through a third-country mediation.

A report released by Nour News Agency stated that "the prisoner exchange deal between Iran and the United States includes the exchange of 4 prisoners for 4 prisoners and the release of Iran's frozen assets in South Korea."

Furthermore, Nour News indicated that "the agreement on the prisoner exchange deal between Iran and the United States was made months ago, but the American side did not announce its readiness to implement it until now," stressing that "the release of the Iranian-American Baqir Namazi was done for humanitarian reasons and has nothing to do with the deal."

On the same topic, the Iranian Tasnim news agency reported that "with the continuation of mediation talks between Iran and the United States, it was agreed that the central bank of one of the countries in the region will be the bank in which the freed money from South Korea will be deposited."

Earlier, IRNA news agency quoted unnamed informed sources as predicting "the imminent release of $7 billion of Iranian assets frozen in South Korea as part of a prisoner release deal between Iran and America."

It is worth noting that several billion dollars in Iranian funds have been seized in a number of countries, including South Korea and Japan. These funds were seized after the US reimposed harsh sanctions against Iran in 2018 after the US unilaterally withdrew from the 2015 JCPOA agreement.

Related News

No direct communication between Tehran-Washington: Source to IRNA

US, Qatar dedicated to uphold terms of Iran unfrozen assets: Qatari FM

Today, October 3, the spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry said that "the release of frozen funds in South Korea is not subject to any condition or party outside the relations between the two countries," noting, "We will announce the details when the talks on this file are over."

In 2021, Tehran has accused Seoul of keeping $7 billion in its funds "hostage" and has repeatedly demanded their release.

The agency added that the past weeks witnessed "intensive negotiations mediated by one of the countries in the region for the simultaneous release of prisoners between Iran and America and billions of dollars of Iranian assets, as part of the prisoner exchange deal."

Seoul did circumvent sanctions in early 2022, however, paying $18 million in frozen Iranian funds to pay Tehran's UN dues and restore the country's voting rights at the international organization. 

Iran has called on South Korea to release the assets regardless of the outcome of the talks between Tehran and major powers aimed at reviving the 2015 nuclear deal.

IRNA reported that the possibility of liberating the funds at a time when the "negotiations to return to the nuclear agreement have remained without result so far due to the Americans' failure to resolve their political decision," noting an American desire to "follow up on the issue of releasing a number of Washington nationals detained in Iran in conjunction with freeing frozen Iranian assets in South Korea."

Read more: Iran launches legal battle at UN to free billions stolen by US

  • Iranian funds
  • frozen assets
  • US
  • Prisoner Exchange
  • South Korea
  • Iran

Most Read

Almost instantly after the Helsinki Accords were signed, organisations sprouted to document purported violations, whose findings were fed to overseas embassies for international amplification. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Zeinab el-Hajj)

How ‘Human Rights’ became a Western weapon

  • Opinion
  • 23 Aug 2025
Israeli soldiers stand on the top of armoured vehicles parked on an area near the Israeli-Gaza border, as seen from southern Israel, Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025 (AP)

Palestinian fighters target Israeli soldiers, vehicles in Gaza

  • Politics
  • 21 Aug 2025
Launch of a ballistic missile from Yemen toward the occupied Palestinian territories. (YAF military media)

Yemeni Forces announce firing hypersonic missile at Al-Lydd Airport

  • Politics
  • 22 Aug 2025
The ‘Arab Façade’ for Israeli occupation in Gaza

The ‘Arab Façade’ for Israeli occupation in Gaza

  • Opinion
  • 23 Aug 2025

Coverage

All
The Ummah's Martyrs

Read Next

All
A scene showing an al-Qassam Brigades fighter during an ambush on July 7, 2025, in a video released by the al-Qassam Brigades on August 26, 2025 (al-Qassam Brigades Military Media)
Politics

Al-Qassam reveals Beit Hanoun ambush targeting Israeli forces

A Palestinian youth stands on a hill overlooking IsraelI Ofer Prison, near the West Bank city of Ramallah, Wednesday, July 3, 2024. (AP)
Politics

77 Palestinian prisoners killed in Israeli prisons since October 7

US Ambassador to Turkey and Special Envoy to Syria Tom Barrack speaks during a joint press conference with US deputy special envoy for Middle East peace Morgan Ortagus at the presidential palace in Baabda, Lebanon, Tuesday, August 26, 2025 (AP)
Politics

US envoy Barrack calls Lebanese journalists 'animalistic"'

Tom Barrack's imperial tantrum in Beirut: When entitlement speaks (Photo by Mahdi Rtail)
Politics

Tom Barrack's imperial tantrum in Beirut: When entitlement speaks

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS