Zarif says Iran open to more prisoner exchanges

Sep 24, 2020

In an interview with Sputnik, Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said the country is open to more prisoner exchanges.

Zarif said Iran is prepared to exchange prisoners that are either held in the United States or are being held in other countries due to US pressure for dual-national prisoners being held in Iran. He said Iran currently does not have any sole US nationals.

Zarif was quick to add that Iran is not interested in direct talks with the United States on this issue and would continue the negotiations on prisoner exchanges via the Swiss.

Iran is currently holding a number of dual nationals, including Iranian-American businessman Siamak Namazi and his father, Mohammad Bagher Namazi. Siamak was arrested in 2015 and is now one of the longest-held dual nationals in Iran. His father traveled to Iran after his arrest and was also arrested and imprisoned. Another dual national being held in Iran is Iranian-American businessman Morad Tahbaz, who was arrested in 2018. In return for dual Iranian-American citizens, Iran wants the exchange of individuals who have been arrested either by the United States or in Europe due to US pressure for violating sanctions on Iran.

One of the most well-known dual nationals being held in Iran is Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, an Iranian-British dual citizen who was arrested in 2016. It is believed that Iran is holding Zaghari-Ratcliffe due to a canceled Iran arms purchase dating back to the 1970s, which in today’s terms would be over $500 million. Her husband has been instrumental in highlighting her case and keeping her name in the newspapers and media.