ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iran is ready to implement a prisoner swap agreement with the United States, the foreign ministry spokesperson said Wednesday, days after Tehran submitted its response to the nuclear deal text.
"The Islamic Republic of Iran, independent of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), has repeatedly announced its readiness to the American side through various channels to address the issue of prisoners," foreign ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani said.
Iran has previously stated it is ready to conduct a prisoner swap. Earlier this year, Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian expressed the country's interest in an exchange. Washington and Tehran are yet to take action on going forward with the exchange.
Kanaani’s remarks come as the US and the European Union review Iran’s response to what is being referred to as the “final text” of the nuclear deal, and days after US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken called for the release of a dual American-Iranian national, Siamak Namazi. Namazi has been held in the notorious Evin prison since 2015.
Siamak Namazi has now spent 2,500 days wrongfully detained in Iran. We are determined to secure his freedom and ensure all Americans who have been wrongfully detained by Iran, including his father Baquer, can return home.
— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) August 16, 2022
While expressing Tehran's readiness to begin swapping prisoners, Kanaani added the Iranian prisoners held in the US have "become victims of the injustice of the judicial system of that country on the false charge of violating the cruel and illegal sanctions of the United States," further blaming Washington for anti-Iran propaganda.
Swapping prisoners has been a major point of contention during negotiations and a key US demand.
Arrests of foreign nationals in the Islamic republic escalated since the US withdrew from the nuclear deal and re-imposed biting sanctions against Tehran. The arrests have been criticized and labeled as a policy of hostage-taking aimed at pressuring the West.
Iran's recent comments come at a decisive time to revive the nuclear accord after 16 months of EU-mediated talks, with a potential revival closer than ever and only "three issues, two of which have been verbally accepted by the US" remaining, according to Tehran on Tuesday.
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