Iran has placed under house arrest five Americans that until now it had held in its jails, in what seems to be a first step towards the delivery of what Washington has always denounced as hostages.
The National Security Council of the White House, through the mouth of its spokesperson Adrienne Watson, has confirmed the change of the prisoners to house arrest and has described the efforts to release them as “delicate” and that they “continue”.
Lawyer Jared Genser has confirmed that his three clients Siamak Namazi, Emad Sharghi and Morad Tabaz, and another unidentified prisoner are now in a Tehran hotel under surveillance. With them is the fifth person, an also unidentified woman, whom he had previously moved to. All of them have dual Iranian nationality or are of Iranian descent.
Namazi had been arrested in 2015 and sentenced to ten years in prison for espionage in a trial that received widespread international criticism. Sharghi, an investor, had also received a similar sentence for alleged espionage. Tahbaz, a British-American citizen of Iranian descent, has been detained since 2018 and was also serving a 10-year sentence for “US government contacts.”
If the existence of an agreement for the release of the five is confirmed, it will be the culmination of a series of delicate negotiations between the United States and Tehran that began two and a half years ago through intermediary countries such as Oman, since the two traditional enemies do not maintain diplomatic relations. Iran had hinted that it was demanding in return the release of about $6 billion in oil revenue held in South Korean banks.
“Iran’s transfer of American hostages from Evin prison to house arrest is a significant development,” Genser said in a statement. “Although I hope this is the first step in his final release, this is at best the beginning of the end and nothing more. But there are simply no guarantees about what will happen from now on.
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Neda Shargi, sister of one of the prisoners, has also confirmed the transfer. “My family has faith in the work that President (Joe) Biden and government officials have undertaken to return our families home, and I hope to receive that news soon,” she also said in a statement. “Until then, I hope you understand that we don’t think further comment is going to help.”
It is not clear when, if the deal is confirmed, the five would turn themselves over to US custody. Tensions between the two governments have been increasing in recent months and the US Navy is reinforcing its presence in the Persian Gulf, where it is considering the possibility of escorting commercial ships that cross the Strait of Hormuz, through which 20% of the world passes. world oil trade.
The transfer “is an encouraging step, but these US citizens should never have been detained,” Watson said. “We will continue to monitor his situation as closely as possible. Of course, we will not rest until they are all back in the United States.”
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