DOHA/NEW YORK
A United States-bound plane
carrying five Americans freed by Iran left Doha on Monday as part of a prisoner
swap for five Iranians held in the United States and the transfer of $6 billion
in Iranian funds, marking a rare deal between the long-time antagonists.
U.S. citizens, from left, Emad Shargi, Morad Tahbaz and Siamak Namazi disembark from a Qatari jet upon their arrival at the Doha International Airport.
"Today, five innocent
Americans who were imprisoned in Iran are finally coming home," U.S.
President Joe Biden said in a statement shortly before the U.S. detainees
descended the stairs of a Qatari jet in Doha to be embraced by U.S. diplomats.
The White House confirmed a
plane carrying the five, along with two U.S. family members who left Tehran
with them earlier, was en route to the United States, where they were to be
offered medical treatment by the U.S. military as they adjust to freedom.
Separately, Iran's state-owned
Press TV said the five Iranians held by the United States and charged with
committing crimes had been freed, an apparent reference to their being granted
clemency, and that two of them had landed in Tehran.
The other three are not
expected to return to Iran.
"This was purely a
humanitarian action," Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said after arriving
in New York for the annual U.N. General Assembly. "It can certainly be a
step based upon which in the future other humanitarian actions can be taken."
It was unclear whether the
exchange might bring progress on the many issues that divide the two nations,
including Iran's nuclear program, its support for regional Shi'ite militias,
the presence of U.S. troops in the Gulf and U.S. sanctions on Iran.
Relations between the United
States and Iran, adversaries for more than 40 years, have been especially
bitter since former U.S. President Donald Trump in 2018 reneged on a deal to
curb Iran's nuclear program and reimposed U.S. sanctions.
Washington suspects the
program may aim to develop nuclear weapons - an ambition Tehran denies - that
could threaten Israel or U.S. Gulf Arab allies.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony
Blinken left the door open to diplomacy on the nuclear file, which he described
as "perhaps the number one issue of concern," but suggested nothing
was imminent.
"In this moment, we're
not engaged on that, but we'll see in the future if there are
opportunities," he told reporters in New York.
U.S. analysts voiced
skepticism that progress was likely soon on the nuclear or other issues.
"The prisoner swap does
likely pave the way for additional diplomacy around the nuclear program this
fall, although the prospect for actually reaching a deal is very remote,"
said Henry Rome of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
"Removing an irritant is
different from adding a salve," said Jon Alterman of the Center of
Strategic and International Studies.
In a sign Biden, a Democrat,
wishes to appear tough on Iran and perhaps blunt Republican criticism, he
announced fresh U.S. sanctions on Iran's former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
and its intelligence ministry for "involvement in wrongful detentions."
"We will continue to
impose costs on Iran for their provocative actions in the region," he said
in the statement, in which he thanked the governments of Qatar, Oman,
Switzerland and South Korea for their assistance in securing the releases.
Qatar mediated indirect
U.S.-Iran talks on the detainees while Switzerland, which represents U.S.
interests in Tehran because the United States and Iran do not diplomatic
relations, helped with the transfer of funds from South Korea to Qatar.
A plane sent by Qatar flew the
five U.S. citizens and two of their relatives out of Tehran after both sides
got confirmation the $6 billion was transferred from South Korea to Qatari
accounts, a source briefed on the matter told Reuters.
A prominent Republican, House
Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul, said the transfer of the $6
billion would likely lead to more detentions of U.S. citizens by Iran.
"I am very concerned that
this $6 billion hostage deal incentivizes future hostage-taking," McCaul
said in an emailed statement. "There is no question this deal will free up
funds for Iran's malign activities."
Biden aides argue the money
belongs to Iran and is being transferred from restricted South Korean accounts
to restricted Qatari accounts, where it can only be spent on food, medicine and
other humanitarian items with U.S. oversight.
Earlier, two of the five
Iranians landed in Qatar, a U.S. official said. Three have opted not to return
to Iran.
One of the five freed
Americans had been held for about eight years on charges Washington rejected as
baseless.
The deal, after months of
talks in Qatar, removes a major irritant between
the U.S., which brands Tehran a sponsor of terrorism, and Iran, which calls
Washington the "Great Satan".
The U.S. dual citizens
released include Siamak Namazi, 51, and Emad Sharqi, 59, both businessmen, and
Morad Tahbaz, 67, an environmentalist who also holds British nationality.
The identities of the fourth
and fifth U.S. citizens were not disclosed at their request given their desire
for privacy.
Iranian officials have named
the five Iranians released by the U.S. as Mehrdad Moin-Ansari, Kambiz
Attar-Kashani, Reza Sarhangpour-Kafrani, Amin Hassanzadeh and Kaveh Afrasiabi.
- Reuters
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