Syed Zafar Mehdi
15 June 2023•Update: 15 June 2023
TEHRAN, Iran
Iran and the US are ironing out details for a prisoner swap deal, according to Oman’s foreign minister.
“I can say they are close,” Sayyid Badr Albusaidi told Al-Monitor news website in an interview. “This is probably a question of technicalities.”
The top Omani diplomat said he senses seriousness on the part of Washington and Tehran as they are engaged in fresh efforts to revive the 2015 nuclear accord.
Iran seeks to release its frozen assets worth billions of dollars abroad.
“They need to have a framework [and] a timeframe of how this should be orchestrated,” Albusaidi said. “I think they’re ironing those things out.”
Oman, which has effectively played the role of mediator in regional conflicts, has been actively involved in efforts to help Tehran and Washington overcome differences that prevent the revival of the 2015 nuclear deal, including the exchange of prisoners.
On the eve of Omani Sultan Haitham bin Tariq’s first official visit to Tehran last month, Muscat mediated a prisoner swap deal between Iran and Belgium.
Under the deal, Iranian diplomat Asadollah Assadi was freed in exchange for Olivier Vandecasteele, a Belgian aid worker imprisoned in Iran for spying in February last year.
On Monday, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani said Iran and the US could exchange prisoners soon if Washington “shows goodwill.”
"Regarding the issue of exchanging prisoners with America, negotiations are ongoing through mediators. If the other party shows the same seriousness and goodwill, this can happen in the near future," Kanaani said.
The Biden administration has repeatedly called for the release of three dual nationals detained in Iran over spying charges – Siamak Namazi, Emad Shargi and Morad Tahbaz.
Iran, for its part, has demanded the release of dozens of its nationals imprisoned in the US, including some Iranian-American dual nationals, mainly for bypassing US sanctions.
In March, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said an initial agreement has been reached with the US on the long-standing prisoner swap issue.
“We reached an agreement in the past few days and if everything goes well on the American side, I think we will witness a prisoner exchange in the short term,” he told state television.
A spokesperson for the White House National Security Council, however, denied any agreement had been reached for the release of US citizens held by Iran.
