A plane carrying 5 Americans released by Iran arrives in the United States
Today (Tuesday), a plane carrying five Americans released by Iran arrived in the United States, a day after exchanging them for five Iranians who were detained in the United States and releasing $6 billion in Iranian funds, according to what Reuters reported.
Five Americans arrived in the United States today (Tuesday). Iran released them as part of a prisoner exchange agreement, where their families received them in a festive atmosphere, a day after they were exchanged for 5 Iranians who were detained in the United States, and $6 billion in funds were released. Iranian, according to what the French Press Agency reported.
The five returned on a VIP plane that landed at Fort Belvoir Air Base, southwest of Washington.
Their relatives waved American flags and hugged them as they got off the plane, and then they posed with big smiles for a group photo.
US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said on the “X” platform (formerly Twitter): “Welcome.”
The five were released as part of a rare prisoner exchange agreement between Washington and Tehran that stipulated the release of assets worth $6 billion frozen by South Korea, an ally of the United States.
The exchange process was considered an indication of a decline in tension in the relationship between the two countries regarding a group of issues, including the progress achieved by Iran in its nuclear program, although some observers called for the deal not to be placed within the framework of a change that has occurred in relations.
The released men arrived on a flight from Qatar, which helped facilitate the exchange process that had been negotiated for many months. They will undergo medical examinations in the Washington area.
The Biden administration rejected the criticism it faced within the United States, where some accused it of paying a “ransom,” stressing that the funds transferred to Qatar would be used for humanitarian purposes only, while threatening to refreeze them if they were allocated for anything else.
However, Tehran confirmed that it has the ability to use the funds without restrictions.
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said in New York that the funds that were frozen “and are now in the custody of the Islamic Republic belong to the (Iranian) people, and we will use them to meet their needs.”
“We are not naive”
Raisi and his US counterpart, Joe Biden, will be among the world leaders gathering in New York on Tuesday to attend the United Nations General Assembly meetings. But there is no meeting scheduled between them.
One of those released praised Biden for moving forward with the deal despite its political repercussions.
Siamak Namazi, a businessman who was arrested by the Iranian authorities in 2015, said in a statement: “I express my deep gratitude to President Biden and his administration for the difficult decisions they had to make,” adding: “Thank you to President Biden for putting the lives of American citizens before politics.”
Other released prisoners include Mourad Tahbaz and investor Imad Sharqi.
The prisoners were detained in Evin Prison in northern Tehran, before they were placed under house arrest outside it last month.
The identities of two other American prisoners, all of whom hold dual American and Iranian citizenship, have not been publicly revealed.
In return, Washington released five Iranian prisoners who had either been convicted or charged with non-violent crimes, and one of them was originally scheduled to be released, according to officials.
Some followed the exchange with caution.
European Council President Charles Michel told reporters at the United Nations on Monday: “We are not naive.”
He added: “We can also observe extremely brutal repression” in Iran, including “the Iranian authorities’ use of kidnapping as a means of putting pressure on some governments, including those affiliated with the European Union.”
He continued: “We will not underestimate the level of tension and difficulties.”
The Iranian authorities arrest a number of foreign nationals, many of whom are dual nationals. While Tehran accuses these people of issues related to security or espionage, their countries and families see them as “hostages” of Tehran, which detains them to obtain concessions from Western countries or to exchange them for a number of its nationals detained abroad.
