Raisi's Deputy: American Prisoners Will Remain in Iran Until Full Transfer of Six Billion Dollars

The exchange of American prisoners for Iran's blocked funds in South Korea has elicited similar reactions among Islamic Republic officials, who state that until the amount of six billion dollars is received by the Islamic Republic, American prisoners will not be released. Mohammad Jamshidi, political deputy to Ebrahim Raisi, the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, tweeted on Friday: "The process of releasing all of Iran's assets in South Korea has also begun. Until the complete transfer of the funds, the American prisoners in question will remain in Iran." On Thursday, in a significant development "on the path to freedom," five detained American dual nationals were transferred from Iranian prisons to house arrest in a hotel in Tehran, which appears to be a "step forward" in the "hostage exchange agreement" between the United States and Iran. The name of this hotel has not been disclosed by U.S. officials, lawyers, or family members of the group. Among these five Iranian-American dual nationals, Siamak Namazi, Emad Sharqi, Morad Tahbaz, and an "unknown fourth person" have been moved from Evin Prison to "house arrest," which has been confirmed by the White House. According to sources familiar with the negotiations, the "fifth dual national," whose identity has not been revealed, had previously been under house arrest. According to unconfirmed reports, the agreement between the two countries, which Tehran has stated was reached through a third country, includes provisions for the potential release of the Islamic Republic's blocked assets worth six billion dollars and the return of five dual nationals held in Iranian prisons. In this context, Ali Bagheri Kani, the political deputy of the Iranian Foreign Minister, also tweeted: "Iran has received the necessary guarantees for the U.S. to adhere to its commitments," and also noted: "The release of several Iranians who were illegally detained in the U.S. is part of this framework." The Iranian Foreign Ministry also stated in a statement that within this framework, "the release of several Iranian prisoners" who have been detained and imprisoned in the U.S. over the past years on charges of "evading U.S. sanctions" is being seriously pursued by the diplomatic apparatus. The statement indicated that the release of some prisoners held in the U.S. "will be realized soon." Nour News, a media outlet close to the Supreme National Security Council of the Islamic Republic, also reacted to this agreement by stating that Iran has been engaged in indirect talks for prisoner exchanges with the U.S. for months "for humanitarian reasons." This media outlet claimed that these negotiations were prolonged due to "the political approach of the U.S. and linking unrelated issues, but conditions are changing." The government information base, Pad, also considered the finalization of the negotiation process, less than a month before the anniversary of Mahsa Amini's death in custody and the subsequent protests in Iran, as a sign of "American despair regarding the repetition of protests." The government information base wrote that last year, exchange negotiations were ongoing but were halted following what it termed "the disturbances and the illusions arising from them." Pad claimed that "shortly thereafter, the Americans, realizing that there was nothing to gain from the chaos project, attempted to quietly activate negotiations through the back door." Observers of Iranian affairs say that the Islamic Republic aims to use the detention of citizens from other countries, especially dual nationals, as leverage in its negotiations with other countries, effectively taking them hostage with false charges. Many Western countries, including U.S. officials, have repeatedly warned dual nationals that traveling to Iran is risky due to the actions of the Islamic Republic and have urged them not to put themselves at risk even for family visits. Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken emphasized on Thursday that the Islamic Republic will not receive any "relief from sanctions" in exchange for the release of five dual nationals. According to AFP, Mr. Blinken made this statement in response to a question about the process of releasing dual nationals and the "release of six billion dollars of blocked Iranian funds." He expressed happiness that the dual nationals are out of prison, stating: "But we want to ensure that we complete this process and bring them home to their families."