Close to prisoner swap pact, says Iran; Washington denies claim

Dubai, March 12

Iran and the United States have reached an agreement to exchange prisoners, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian told state TV on Sunday, but Washington denied it as a “false” claim by Tehran.

“Regarding the issue of prisoner swaps between Iran and the US, we have reached an agreement and if everything goes well on the US side, I think we will witness a prisoner exchange,” Amirabdollahian said. “On our part everything is ready, while the US is currently working on the final technical coordination.”

A White House official denied Amirabdollahian’s statement about the prisoner swap with Washington, adding that the United States was committed to securing the release of Americans held in Iran.

“Claims by Iranian officials that we have reached a deal for the release of the US citizens wrongfully held by Iran are false,” a White House spokesperson said.

Iranian sources said that two regional countries were involved in the series of indirect talks between Iran and the US for the release of prisoners. — Reuters

Tehran accused of blackmail

• Iran is holding dozens of Iranian dual nationals and foreigners captive
• Activists have accused Iran of arresting them to try to extract concessions from other countries