Reports: Iran to Free Five American Prisoners as Part of US Deal

Improve the News Foundation -

Facts

  • The White House confirmed on Thursday that five US nationals imprisoned in Iran are now under house arrest, in what has been reported as the first step in a deal between the US and Iran that will include cash and a potential prisoner swap.1
  • The prisoners named included Siamak Namazi (who has been imprisoned in Iran for eight years), the British-American dual citizen Morad Tabaz, and the D.C. resident Emad Shargi. They were released from Evin Prison together with an unidentified detainee, while the fifth prisoner had already been under house arrest.2
  • The AP reported that Iranian officials at the UN acknowledged the tentative deal involves the unfreezing of $6B to $7B in Iranian funds. If the agreement is carried out, the money will be transferred through Qatar and detainees will be released by next month.3
  • While the White House has not commented on these reports, the US will reportedly transfer nearly $6B of Iran's assets in S.Korea exclusively for humanitarian purchases and pardon several Iranian nationals detained for violating sanctions.4
  • A US National Security Council spokesperson has said that "delicate" negotiations "remain ongoing," noting that the return of those detained to the US is expected to take weeks. The US and Iran have exchanged prisoners before, most recently in 2020.5
  • The negotiations over the five detained Americans — whom the US Dept. of State considers to be wrongfully detained — are reportedly separate from talks over Iran's nuclear program, but they could allegedly facilitate dialogue in other areas.1

Sources: 1CNN, 2CBS, 3Associated Press, 4New York Times, and 5NPR Online News.

Narratives

  • Republican narrative, as provided by FOX News. The Biden administration is giving a sponsor of terrorism billions of dollars — this can only be described as a ransom. This is yet another foreign policy blunder, as Biden is risking US taxpayers' money going towards Iran's nuclear aspirations. The US should never negotiate with terrorists, as this move will only encourage rogue actors to kidnap Americans in the knowledge that Uncle Sam will reward their illegal acts handsomely.
  • Democratic narrative, as provided by CNN. Ever since Trump's reckless withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal, the White House has been quietly pursuing rapprochement with Iran to keep the world safe. This is one of many moves of goodwill between Iran and the US made in recent weeks, as momentum to forge a new path forward increases. Not only are innocent Americans going to be freed, rising tensions between the US and Iran may now be curtailed.

Predictions