Five Americans who were wrongfully imprisoned in Iran have been released and are on their way back to the United States after more than five years in detention. The release of the Americans was part of a wider deal involving the US unfreezing of $6 billion in Iranian funds and marks a major diplomatic breakthrough following years of complicated indirect negotiations between Washington and Tehran.
Two relatives of the detainees were also aboard the Qatari government jet which flew the Americans out of Iran. They were Siamak Namazi’s mother Effie Namazi and Morad Tahbaz’s wife Vida Tahbaz, both of whom had previously been unable to leave Iran. The Qataris also sent their ambassador to Tehran, Ali Al Khalifa, to accompany the plane on its journey.
President Joe Biden praised the news of the release, saying: “Today, five innocent Americans who were imprisoned in Iran are finally coming home. I am grateful to our partners at home and abroad for their tireless efforts to help us achieve this outcome, including the Governments of Qatar, Oman, Switzerland, and South Korea.”
The three detainees who had been imprisoned for more than five years were Emad Shargi, Morad Tahbaz, and Siamak Namazi. Namazi’s father, Baquer Namazi, had also been in Iranian detention for more than six years but was released in October last year in order to receive medical treatment.
The identities of the other two Americans were unknown, as were the details of the charges against them. In an unprecedented interview with CNN from inside Evin Prison in Iran earlier this year, Namazi pleaded with President Biden to put the “liberty of innocent Americans above politics” and ramp up efforts to secure his release.
The deal also saw the US issue sanctions against Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence (MOIS) and former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, both of whom the US accuses of being responsible for wrongly detaining Americans. This was the second set of sanctions imposed under an executive order signed by President Biden calling for the punishment of those responsible for holding Americans captive.
The US also transferred $6 billion in Iranian funds from restricted accounts in South Korea to restricted accounts in banks in Qatar. US officials stressed that the funds would only be able to be used by Iran for humanitarian purchases, and will be monitored by the US Treasury Department.
The agreement also involves the release of five Iranians in US custody. Two of them had served a majority of their sentences while the other three were awaiting trial.
The release of the Americans reflects the Biden administration’s renewed focus on diplomacy to reduce the risk of Iran’s aggression and to contribute to the construction of a more stable, integrated, and prosperous Middle East region. Clear-cut diplomatic successes like this one can be seen as a precursor to other complex agreements to come between the US and Iran.
