Reuters: Blinken Issues Sanction Waiver for Transfer of Blocked Iranian Funds from South Korea

Reuters reported that it has seen a document indicating that U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has issued a sanction waiver as part of a prisoner exchange agreement between the United States and the Islamic Republic for the transfer of blocked Iranian funds from South Korea to Qatar. This waiver allows international banks to transfer money from South Korea to Qatar without fear of U.S. sanctions. The funds are intended for humanitarian purchases by Iran. This waiver follows an agreement in which the United States has agreed to release five Iranians detained in the U.S., and Iran has agreed to release five Americans detained in Iran in return. Previously, Reuters reported on Sunday, citing several Iranian and non-Iranian sources, that with the transfer of six billion dollars of Iran's blocked assets to banks in Qatar in the coming days, five Iranian-American dual citizens detained in the Islamic Republic will be exchanged for an equal number of Iranian prisoners in the U.S. On August 10, Iran transferred four dual citizens from Evin prison to house arrest. The fifth individual had also been previously moved to house arrest. Antony Blinken stated on the same day that this action is the first step in a process that will lead to the return of these five individuals to the U.S. Siamak Namazi, 51, Emad Sharqi, 59, both businessmen, and Morad Tahbaz, 67, an environmental activist, have been identified as three of the five individuals. The identities of the fourth and fifth individuals have not been disclosed, but it is said that one of them is a woman. Reuters has been unable to verify the identities of the Iranians imprisoned in the U.S. who are to be returned to Iran as part of this prisoner exchange. In response to this news, a spokesperson for the U.S. State Department stated that the issue is not a "sanction waiver" but rather a technical approval for the transfer of previously announced funds. According to a reporter from the English section of Voice of America, this State Department spokesperson clarified: "The United States has allowed for the transfer of blocked Iranian funds from South Korea to restricted accounts in financial institutions in Qatar to facilitate the release of five detained American citizens, which is why the U.S. Secretary of State signed a waiver last week to allow this transfer to take place." He also emphasized: "This waiver allows for the transfer of funds from one location to another, but it does not change the fact that Iranians can only use it to finance the purchase of humanitarian goods, as no money goes directly to Iran, and the U.S. will monitor how and when these funds are used after the transfer to Qatar." This State Department spokesperson noted: "This has been a long-standing U.S. policy to ensure that our sanctions do not prevent food, medicine, and other humanitarian goods and services from reaching ordinary people, regardless of how reliable their governments may be." The State Department's press office has explicitly stated: "We have not lifted any of our sanctions against Iran, and Iran is not receiving any sanction relief. We continue to confront the Iranian regime's human rights violations, destabilizing actions abroad, its support for terrorism, and its support for Russia's war against Ukraine, and we are working to free American citizens who are unjustly held by Iran, while continuing to closely monitor their health and welfare with the help of our Swiss partners." Reuters reported on Monday afternoon, U.S. time, that it has seen a document indicating that U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has issued a sanction waiver as part of a prisoner exchange agreement between the United States and the Islamic Republic for the transfer of blocked Iranian funds from South Korea to Qatar. Reuters added that this waiver allows international banks to transfer money from South Korea to Qatar without fear of U.S. sanctions, but this money is intended for humanitarian purchases by Iran.