A knowledgeable source informed Reuters on Monday that "a plane heading to the United States left the Qatari capital, Doha, carrying five released Americans." In return, the Iranian channel "Press TV" reported that "two Iranian citizens released as part of a prisoner swap deal with the United States arrived in Tehran today." The Qatari plane had previously landed at the Doha airport. A Reuters witness stated that "U.S. officials welcomed the five Americans released from Iran." The plane took off earlier today from Tehran heading to Doha.
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi noted that "the release of five detained Americans by Tehran was an entirely humanitarian act," pointing out that they "left Iran under an agreement brokered by Qatar, which includes the release of Iranian funds amounting to six billion dollars in South Korea." Raisi, after arriving in New York for UN General Assembly meetings, said, "It was purely a humanitarian act... and it could certainly be a step that allows for other humanitarian actions in the future."
Upon their arrival in Doha, U.S. President Joe Biden issued a statement announcing that "five innocent Americans who had been imprisoned in Iran have finally returned home." Biden thanked the governments of Qatar, Oman, Switzerland, and South Korea for their efforts in this regard, extending "special thanks to the Amir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, and the Sultan of Oman, Haitham bin Tariq, for helping mediate the agreement over many months." Biden also announced "the imposition of U.S. sanctions on former Iranian President Ahmadinejad and the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence."
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken indicated that he had spoken to the five Americans who were held by Iran before they left for Doha as part of the prisoner exchange agreement, remarking, "I can tell you it was an emotionally charged conversation for them and for me as well." A senior administration official noted that "the prisoner exchange agreement that led to the release of the five Americans detained in Iran will not change the adversarial relationship between Washington and Tehran, but the door remains open for diplomatic avenues regarding the Iranian nuclear program."
The "Press TV" channel reported that "five Iranians who were held in the United States have been released, with two of them on their way to Tehran." Earlier, the channel stated that "the two, Mehrdad Moein Ansari and Reza Sarhankpour Kafrani, had already arrived in Doha from the United States."
Earlier today, the prisoner exchange process between Iran and the United States began, with five American detainees being transferred to a Qatari plane in preparation for leaving Iran. A reliable source confirmed that "both Iran and the United States were aware that six billion of Iran's frozen funds had been released and transferred to accounts in Qatar, thus initiating the meticulously designed steps for the exchange of five prisoners from each side today." Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kan'ani stated that "the funds that were frozen in South Korea will be in Iran's possession today, leading to the exchange of five American citizens detained in Iran for five Iranians held in the United States, according to an agreement brokered by Qatar after months of negotiations."
In an interview with Reuters, a knowledgeable source stated, "Qatar informed both sides that the six billion had been transferred from Switzerland to bank accounts in Qatar." It was added, "A Qatari plane is on standby in Iran waiting to transfer the five Americans who will be released, and two of their relatives to Doha this morning."
This agreement, first announced on August 10, could eliminate a significant source of tension between Washington and Tehran, although both sides remain deeply divided over issues ranging from Iran's nuclear ambitions and its influence throughout the region to U.S. sanctions and military presence in the Gulf. The South Korean Foreign Ministry stated that it is "working with all parties involved in the agreement to ensure that all procedures proceed smoothly until they are ultimately resolved."
