Iran Confirms Discussion of Iranian-American Prisoners in Recent JCPOA Negotiations

Bahram Qasemi, the spokesperson for Iran's Foreign Ministry, confirmed that the issue of two Iranian-American prisoners was discussed in the recent negotiations regarding the JCPOA, but stated that there are no guidelines for discussing issues outside of the JCPOA with the Americans. The official spokesperson's remarks represent the first confirmation from the Islamic Republic regarding the mention of prisoner release during a JCPOA review commission meeting in Vienna. According to ISNA news agency, Mr. Qasemi said in his weekly meeting with reporters: "Apparently, the American side raised discussions on the sidelines of the JCPOA commission about one or two individuals who are imprisoned in Iran for specific reasons." He refrained from providing further details and added: "What is exchanged between the parties in the JCPOA commission is solely JCPOA-related matters, and we still have no guidelines for discussions with the U.S. on issues outside the JCPOA." The spokesperson made these remarks in response to a question about the U.S. request for the release of two Iranian-American citizens imprisoned in Iran for 'espionage.' However, he did not mention the names of these prisoners. Among the dual nationals imprisoned in Iran are Siamak Namazi, a businessman, and his 81-year-old father Baqer Namazi. They were sentenced to ten years in prison by the Revolutionary Court for 'collaborating with a hostile government.' The Namazi family's lawyer had urged the U.S. government to raise their detention issue in the JCPOA negotiations. Mark Toner, a spokesperson for the U.S. State Department, said last week that U.S. officials at the meeting "requested that Iran immediately release American citizens so they can return to their families." Iran, which does not recognize dual citizenship for its citizens, has previously used them as leverage in negotiations with the U.S., managing to receive hundreds of millions of dollars in cash for what it claims are its principal and interest demands. Other dual nationals imprisoned in Iran include Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, an Iranian-British citizen sentenced to five years in prison, whose conviction was upheld by an Iranian appeals court last week. Ms. Zaghari has been accused by the Revolutionary Guards' intelligence of 'soft overthrow.' She was arrested at the airport while trying to leave Iran with her two-year-old daughter last April. Robin Shahini, another Iranian-American citizen, was sentenced to 18 years in prison for 'collaborating with a hostile government' but was recently released on bail. Karan Vafadari, an Iranian-American art gallery owner, is also detained along with his Iranian wife. Abdolrasoul Dari Esfahani, an Iranian-Canadian citizen reportedly part of Iran's nuclear negotiation team, is also in custody. An American named Robert Levinson has been missing in Iran since 2007.