Iran insists prisoner swap agreed regardless of US denial
TEHRAN: Iran insisted on Monday that it had reached a prisoner trade cope with arch foe the US, a day after Washington denied the declare as “an particularly merciless lie”.
Iranian overseas ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani mentioned “a written settlement exists on the difficulty of US prisoners” and that it might be carried out if the American facet takes a “lifelike method”.
Three US residents are amongst no less than 16 Western passport holders now detained in Iran on numerous prices. Most maintain twin nationality, which Iran doesn’t recognise.
America and the Islamic republic don’t have interaction in direct negotiations however talk by way of mediators.
Kanani mentioned such talks had led to an settlement a yr in the past, talking in his weekly press convention in Tehran.
“In March 2022, a written settlement was reached on this regard, which was additionally signed by the official consultant of the US authorities,” he mentioned.
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He blamed a “technical drawback on the American facet” in addition to US home politics and “political campaigns” for a delay in implementing the deal.
Iranian Overseas Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian had first made the declare on a deal on Sunday.
State Division spokesman Ned Worth shortly denied the feedback on the US prisoners as “one other particularly merciless lie that solely provides to the struggling of their households”.
“We’re working relentlessly to safe the discharge of the three wrongfully detained Individuals in Iran,” Worth added.
The Iranian spokesman Monday additionally touched on the destiny of six French nationals being held in Iranian prisons.
“I hope that we are going to see good issues occurring concerning this problem,” Kanani mentioned.
Iran says deal reached with US for prisoner swap
He cautioned nonetheless that what he known as France’s continued “interventionist function” in Iran’s inner affairs would solely frustrate efforts to safe their launch.
“The French authorities has adopted a non-constructive place and performed an interventionist function in relation to the current inner developments of Iran,” the diplomat mentioned.
Kanani was referring to French feedback on the protest motion that broke out after the September 16 dying of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, an ethnic Kurd who had been arrested over an alleged violation of strict costume guidelines for girls.
Lots of of individuals, together with dozens of safety forces, have been killed and hundreds arrested through the protests that Iranian officers typically described as “riots” and blamed on hostile forces linked to the US, Israel and their allies.
