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Iran holds talks on prisoner exchanges with the US
Citing Reuters, the Middle East Monitor reported that Iran said on Tuesday it was holding talks on prisoner exchanges with the United States aimed at securing the release of Iranians held in US jails and other countries over violations of US sanctions.
According to government spokesman Ali Rabiei "Negotiations are under way on the exchange of prisoners between Iran and America, and we will issue more information if Iranian prisoners are released and the country's interests are secured and the talks reach a conclusion."
The Middle East Monitor reported that Ali told a news conference carried on a government website "Because of its humanitarian aims, Iran is ready to exchange all American political prisoners in exchange for the release of all Iranian prisoners who have been detained around the world at the behest of America."
There was no immediate US comment on his remarks.
Iran's talks with world powers on reviving a 2015 nuclear deal, which the United States quit in 2018, have been suspended for three weeks. The deal imposed restrictions on Iran's nuclear activities in exchange for lifting international sanctions.
According to the Middle East Monitor, US State Department spokesman Ned Price said on Monday that Washington would not impose a deadline on a seventh round of talks, and only Tehran could determine when talks would resume.
The Islamic Republic, which is holding a handful of Iranian-Americans, has been accused by rights activists of arresting dual nationals to try to extract concessions from other countries. Iran has dismissed the charge.
In May, the United States denied a report by Iranian state television that the countries had reached a prisoner swap deal in exchange for the release of $7 billion in frozen Iranian oil funds under US sanctions in other countries.
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Source: middleeastmonitor
Image source: STR/AFP via Getty Images-middleeastmonitor
