August 11, 2023
5 mins read

Blinken says no sanctions relief for Iran under prisoner deal

Blinken said that the United States has been in contact with the families of five Americans freed from prison to house arrest in an expected first step to their release….reports Asian Lite News

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Thursday that the United States would offer no sanctions relief to Iran under a draft deal that would free five Americans.

“In any event, in any respect, Iran will not be receiving any sanctions relief,” Blinken told reporters when asked about the expected release of $6 billion in frozen Iranian funds.

“Iran’s own funds would be used and transferred to restricted accounts such that the monies can only be used for humanitarian purposes,” he said.

Blinken said that the United States has been in contact with the families of five Americans freed from prison to house arrest in an expected first step to their release.

“My belief is that this is the beginning of the end of their nightmare, and the nightmare that their families have experienced,” he said.

Blinken said he was not aware of other Americans held in Iran.

5 Americans detained in Iran moved from prison to house arrest

Meanwhile, Five Americans who had been imprisoned in Iran have been now placed under house arrest. The development is the first step in a deal between the United States and Iran that would include making USD 6 billion in Iranian funds more accessible to Tehran in exchange for their return to the US, CNN reported.

The Permanent Mission of Iran to the United Nations in a statement said that “as part of a humanitarian cooperation agreement mediated by a third-party government, Iran and the US have agreed to reciprocally release and pardon five prisoners.”

Four of the Americans which include Siamak Namazi, Emad Shargi, and Morad Tahbaz have been moved out of Tehran’s Evin Prison on Thursday, CNN reported citing the White House. The fifth American who has not been identified publicly has also been placed under house arrest, CNN cited a source familiar with the negotiations.

The source called the development an “encouraging step” and stressed that there’s “a roadmap that has basically been agreed.” However, they said that “there’s a number of things here that still need to be worked out” in the prospective deal for Americans’ return to the US, according to CNN.

The roadmap includes plans to make USD 6 billion in Iranian funds that have been in a restricted account in South Korea more available for “non-sanctionable trade” of goods like food and medicine by moving them to “a restricted account elsewhere.”

According to the source, the decision will not provide new funds to Iran. However, Iran will be able to use those funds that are currently in South Korean accounts for humanitarian purposes and non-sanctionable trade. The source said there is also expected to be a prisoner swap component to the deal.

The source said, “no prisoners held in the US will be released in exchange for these Americans moving to house arrest.” They called the transfer of these prisoners out of prison a “significant initial step in the implementation of this agreement,” according to CNN.

The source said, “There’s kind of a step-by-step process that’s going to unfold. So, the first step is getting our people out of prison.” A source aware of the negotiations said that Iran will not immediately “gain any benefit.”

They said, “Then there will be arrangements in place we’ve agreed to do some things, Iran has agreed to do some things that will eventually lead to the Americans coming home.” The source said that “It’s going to be a period of weeks” before the Americans return to the US, noting a September timeframe.

The source said that there has been a “very intensive process of negotiations with the Iranians.” The source familiar told reporters that the US was “very clear with the Iranians that to get anywhere the Americans have to be out of Evin Prison.”

In a statement on Thursday, US National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said that the US “received confirmation that Iran has released from prison five Americans who were unjustly detained and has placed them on house arrest.” She said that US will continue to monitor their condition.

Watson said, “We will continue to monitor their condition as closely as possible. Of course, we will not rest until they are all back home in the United States.”

She further said, “Until that time, negotiations for their eventual release remain ongoing and are delicate. We will, therefore, have little in the way of details to provide about the state of their house arrest or about our efforts to secure their freedom.”

Jared Genser, the pro-bono counsel for Namazi, strongly cautioned against being overly optimistic regarding the freedom of Americans until they come out of Iran. He said, “There are simply no guarantees about what happens from here,” CNN reported.

Namazi, the longest-held American in Iran, was arrested in 2015 when he was on a business trip. He was charged with having “relations with a hostile state,” referring to the US. He is a dual Iranian-US citizen.

Shargi, a businessman, and Tahbaz, an environmentalist, were first arrested in 2018. They are also dual Iranian-US citizens. The US State Department said that all three have been wrongfully detained.

Namazi, who had been left behind in a deal under the Obama administration said, “I remain deeply worried that the White House just doesn’t appreciate how dire our situation has become.” The families of Namazi, Shargi and Tahbaz had made urgent calls to the Biden administration to bolster their efforts to bring their loved ones back to the US, as per the CNN report.

Their families welcomed the news that their loved ones had been placed on house arrest. However, the families of Namazi, Shargi and Tahbaz said they were awaiting the day that they were finally back in the US, the report said. Babak Namazi, Siamak’s brother, said that they are “grateful” that Siamak and other Americans in Iran are out of Evin prison. 

Tara Tahbaz, Morad Tahbaz’s daughter, said that they are “encouraged” by the development regarding the conditions of her father and the other American hostages. Neda Sharghi, the sister of Emad Shargi, said she was aware of the reports about her brother being taken on house arrest.

ALSO READ: Blinken reiterates calls for release of Niger President Bazoum

Previous Story

US backs ‘peaceful resolution’ in Niger

Next Story

Lula denounces “green neocolonialism” at Amazon Summit

Latest from -Top News

India opens world’s highest rail bridge

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the world’s highest railway bridge over the Chenab River in Jammu and Kashmir and flagged off the much-awaited Vande Bharat Express to Srinagar, marking a historic moment

Sisi, MBZ cement ties

UAE and Egypt bolster ties through high-level talks in Abu Dhabi and a landmark cardiac care initiative delivering lifesaving treatment to rural communities The United Arab Emirates and Egypt reaffirmed their strong

‘UAE leads global fight against plastic waste’

UAE accelerates its fight against plastic pollution with a bold single-use plastic ban and expanded environmental policies to safeguard natural ecosystems for future generations The United Arab Emirates continues to lead the

70,000 Gaza kids starve

WFP warned that any further escalation of conflict could paralyse relief operations altogether, deepening the plight of civilians—especially children, the elderly, and vulnerable groups As the humanitarian crisis in Gaza intensifies, the

Prayers on the Mount

The Day of Arafat, considered the pinnacle of the Hajj pilgrimage, witnessed a congregation of believers from around the world As the sun blazed overhead and temperatures climbed to a sweltering 41°C,
Go toTop

Don't Miss

UK’s Liz Truss in US for talks

The topic of her discussions will “be what more the

Thousands of troops sent to Mexico border  

US authorities turned back would-be migrants attempting to cross the