Iran's Six Billion Successfully Leaves South Korea

While Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi landed at John F. Kennedy Airport in New York to participate in the UN General Assembly, the prisoner exchange deal with the United States was coming to a conclusion. Simultaneously, South Korea confirmed on Tuesday that the Iranian funds, which had been frozen in South Korea, were successfully transferred to a third country, following the departure of a plane from Doha heading to the United States carrying five Americans released by Iran as part of the prisoner exchange deal. A source had previously told Reuters that a plane sent by Qatar transported the five Americans and two of their relatives out of Tehran after both sides verified the transfer of six billion dollars from South Korea to Qatari accounts. The South Korean Foreign Ministry stated, "The Iranian funds that were frozen in South Korea due to the financial sanctions imposed on Iran have recently been successfully transferred to a third country under close coordination among the concerned countries." The ministry noted that the funds in Qatar will be used for food, medicine, and other humanitarian materials, as was the case when they were in South Korea. The ministry added, "Our government expects that our bilateral relations will further improve against the backdrop of the transfer of the frozen funds," and thanked the governments of Qatar and Switzerland for their "constructive role" in resolving the issue. Qatar mediated indirect talks between the United States and Iran for the release of detainees, while Switzerland assisted in the transfer of funds from South Korea to Qatar. Switzerland represents U.S. interests in Tehran since the U.S. and Iran have not maintained diplomatic relations since the 1979 revolution.