An undisclosed source informed press agencies on Monday, September 18, that five American detainees, who had been held in Iran, departed for Doha as part of a prisoner exchange. This exchange occurred following the transfer of $6 billion in frozen funds to Iranian accounts located in Qatar.
Five US detainees released by Iran took off for Doha in a prisoner swap Monday, an informed source told press agencies, after $6 billion in frozen funds were transferred to Iranian accounts in Qatar.
The five, who include a businessman and a conservationist, and who left Iran on a Qatari plane accompanied by two relatives, were freed in exchange for five Iranians held by the United States.
The trigger for the exchange was the release of the $6 billion in funds, long frozen by US ally South Korea under sanctions against Iran, to the Iranian accounts.
According to Iranian media, two of the freed Iranians have arrived in Doha. The other three have chosen to remain in the United States or a third country, Tehran said.
Iran generated the $6 billion through oil sales to South Korea, which froze the funds after the United States under former president Donald Trump reimposed sanctions as he withdrew from a landmark nuclear accord.
As the prisoners were released, US President Joe Biden announced sanctions against Iran’s ex-president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and the country’s intelligence ministry.
Biden also granted clemency to the five Iranian ex-detainees.
The White House has denied that the unfreezing of the Iranian funds was effectively a ransom payment.
Biden’s administration has insisted that Iran will only be allowed to use the money to buy food, medicine and other humanitarian goods.
The release of the prisoners comes just days after the first anniversary of her death, and as Biden and Iran’s president, Ebrahim Raisi, are in New York for the annual UN General Assembly, although they are not expected to meet.
Khalil Wakim, with AFP
