![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() The fourth and fifth prisoners were not identified. The American prisoners include Siamak Namazi, who was detained in 2015 and was later sentenced to 10 years in prison on internationally criticized spying charges Emad Sharghi, a venture capitalist sentenced to 10 years and Morad Tahbaz, a British-American conservationist of Iranian descent who was arrested in 2018 and also received a 10-year sentence. People familiar with negotiations said they expect the detainees will be released as early as next week. Blinken’s waiver is aimed at easing their concerns about any risk of U.S. sanctions on foreign banks that engage in transactions aimed at benefitting Iran, several European countries had balked at participating in the transfer. The fifth detainee had already been under house arrest.ĭue to numerous U.S. The transfer of the $6 billion was the critical element in the prisoner release deal, which saw four of the five American detainees transferred from Iranian jails into house arrest last month. sanctions in converting the money frozen in South Korea and transferring it to Qatar’s central bank, where it will be held for Iran to use for the purchase of humanitarian goods. The waiver means that European, Middle Eastern and Asian banks will not run afoul of U.S. While this is a step in the process, no individuals have been or will be released into U.S. “This remains a sensitive and ongoing process. “What is being pursued here is an arrangement wherein we secure the release of 5 wrongfully held Americans,” said Adrienne Watson, a spokeswoman for the National Security Council. The White House pushed back on all criticism of the waiver decision, saying it was only a “procedural step” aimed at fulfilling the tentative agreement reached with Iran in August. ![]()
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