Iran and the US will exchange prisoners later Monday, Iran’s Foreign Ministry said, the culmination of negotiations that could lay the ground for further talks on Iran’s nuclear program.
The countries will each release five prisoners, Ministry Spokesman Nasser Kanaani said in a press conference. Two of the Iranians to be freed will return to Iran, while the others will join family elsewhere or stay in the US, he added.
Iran will get full access on Monday to its $6 billion in funds that were stuck in South Korea due to US sanctions, Kanaani said — a precondition set by Tehran for the prisoners’ release.
Tracking the Twists and Turns of the US-Iran Conflict: QuickTake
Talks on Iran’s atomic work are “possible” via intermediaries on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, he added. Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi is traveling to the US for the event.
