Iran ready for prisoner swap with US, says official

Iran is ready to exchange all prisoners with the United States, government spokesman Ali Rabiei announced yesterday.

“We are ready to exchange all inmates,” Rabiei told reporters, noting that the latter had not happened due to the “US being unprepared to do so.”

“Iran is waiting to see how much the new US administration is serious to revise policies of the previous team,” he pointed out, adding that many Iranians were arrested around the world “as a result of US pressure.”

Washington and Tehran have been detaining each others’ citizens without revealing the exact number of inmates that have been held. Both countries recently called for the release of prisoners following the outbreak of coronavirus.

The official also stressed that his country would “fulfil all our commitments quickly if the US decided to fulfil its legal obligations under the United Nations resolution and lift its sanctions.”

“Iran welcomes any diplomatic initiative that can accelerate that process,” Rabiei said.

READ: Iran and US to conclude prisoner swap deal ahead of US elections