US Reaches Deal to Free Five Americans Imprisoned by Iran

The Biden administration has struck a deal with Iran to secure the freedom of five Iranian Americans from prison in Iran, in exchange for the release of several Iranian nationals and billions in funds for humanitarian purposes. 

As part of the deal, Iran transferred the detained Iranian Americans out of a notorious prison in Tehran where they were being held and into house arrest, according to the New York Times, which first reported on the agreement.

“While I hope this will be the first step to their ultimate release, this is at best the beginning of the end and nothing more,” Jared Genser, the lawyer for Siamak Namazi, one of the Iranian Americans moved into house arrest, told The Times. 

 “But there are simply no guarantees about what happens from here.”

Along with Namazi, Iran has agreed to release Emad Sharghi and Morad Tahbaz, as well as two others whose names have not been released by their families. They had been detained by Iran on unsubstantiated allegations of spying.

Namazi has been held in Iran since 2015, Morad Tahbaz since 2018 and Emad Sharghi since 2018. Namazi is the longest held American prisoner in Iran, according to CNN.

While the details of the agreement have not been publicly released, it was reported that, once the Iranian American prisoners are allowed to return to the US, the Biden administration will move to release several Iranian nationals who have been imprisoned for violating American sanctions on Iran.

The US also reportedly will transfer around $6 billion in Iranian assets currently held in South Korea to an account at the central bank of Qatar. 

Under the deal, which is the result of two years of negotiations, the account will be controlled by authorities in Qatar, who will give Iran access to the funds only for the purpose of humanitarian purchases such as food and medicine.