Tehran Names 5 Iranians for Prisoner Exchange With US Amid Ongoing Tensions

Iran on Tuesday identified the five Iranian prisoners held by the US that it wants to see freed as part of a prisoner swap. Iran is expected to free five Iranian Americans held in Tehran in return.

A spokesperson for the Iranian mission to the UN confirmed the list of prisoners Iran hopes to see freed. The list includes Kaveh Lotfolah Afrasiabi, an Iranian who was charged in 2021 for allegedly lobbying US officials on behalf of Iran on issues such as nuclear policy without identifying himself as a foreign agent.

The five Iranian American prisoners held in Tehran are all currently under house arrest in a hotel.

Also as part of the deal, $6 billion in Iranian funds that have been frozen in South Korea are expected to be released to Qatar and eventually transferred to Iran for humanitarian use. On Monday, Congress was notified that the Biden Administration agreed to a sanctions waiver that would allow the transfer of funds.

Republicans have criticized the prisoner swap given the current tensions between Iran and the West. Tehran has been blamed for a series of recent ship seizures and other attacks on US ships. Iran’s nuclear program is also a source of tension between the West and the Islamic Republic.