Iran says prepared to swap prisoners with US

TEHRAN, Iran

Iran said Wednesday it is ready for a prisoner swap with the United States.

“We are ready to swap prisoners with Washington,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani told reporters in Tehran.

“The US must release jailed Iranian citizens without any conditions,” he added in statements cited by the semi-official Fars news agency.

"We are ready to get the innocent Iranians imprisoned in the United States released, those who have become victims of injustice by the judicial system of the country on false charges of violating the cruel and illegal US sanctions, and make their ... quick return to the open arms of their families possible," he added.

On Tuesday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called on Tehran to release Iranian-American nationals imprisoned in the country. Iran says these people have been jailed on espionage charges.

There are no specific estimates of Americans held by Iran.

In 2019, Tehran released a Chinese-American scientist who was imprisoned by Iran on espionage charges. At that time, Tehran accused the US of holding 20 Iranians in its prisons.

Iran and the US are currently seeking to revive the 2015 nuclear agreement from which Washington unilaterally withdrew in 2018.

Writing by Ahmed Asmar