An Iranian government-affiliated news agency has confirmed a U.S. media report that indirect negotiations between Iran and the United States are under way for an exchange of prisoners.
An NBC television report on February 15 quoted four sources familiar with the matter as saying that Qatar and the United Kingdom are facilitating the talks as intermediaries.
The Iranian news agency Nournews, affiliated with Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, wrote on Twitter on February 16 that these negotiations "were conducted indirectly and fruitfully." Nournews said the negotiations were conducted "at the request of Washington and with the consent of Tehran."
“The two sides are exploring a formula that could include a possible prisoner exchange and the release of billions of dollars in funds in South Korean banks currently blocked by U.S. sanctions,” NBC said, quoting three sources with knowledge of the talks.
The U.S. State Department has acknowledged that Washington has "channels" for communicating with Tehran but did not elaborate on any current negotiations.
“As we have said, we have ways of communicating with Iran on issues of concern, including on the issue of releasing U.S. citizens wrongfully detained in Iran. Those channels remain open, but we’re not going to detail them,” a State Department spokesperson said.
Several Iranian-American citizens, including Siamak Namazi, Emad Sharghi, and Morad Tahbaz, are still imprisoned in Iran.
Namazi was with an oil company based in Dubai when he was detained on espionage charges while visiting family in Tehran in 2015. He was questioned over past associations with U.S. think tanks. The Namazi family says the accusations of espionage are absurd.
Namazi was handed a 10-year prison sentence for "collaborating with the hostile American government." He is now the longest-serving Iranian-American prisoner in Iran.
Emad Sharghi was sentenced to 10 years in prison on spying charges, Iranian media reported, saying he was detained while attempting to flee the country.
Morad Tahbaz, a board member of the Persian Wildlife Heritage Foundation, was arrested in January 2018 during a crackdown on environmental activists. He and seven others were accused of compiling classified information while pretending to carry out environmental work.
Tahbaz was sentenced to 10 years in prison with the others on vague allegations of spying for the United States and undermining Iranian security.
Western countries have repeatedly said that Iran is trying to take advantage of foreign countries by taking dual and foreign nationals hostage and then using them in prisoner swaps.
Iranian security forces have taken some 40 foreign nationals into custody during the current wave of unrest, often without revealing any charges.