'No deal' on US-Iran prisoner exchange: White House
White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan confirmed "there's no deal" to free the Americans held by Iran.
WASHINGTON — The White House on Monday pushed back on Iranian claims that the United States and Iran were nearing a deal to exchange prisoners.
“There's no deal,” White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters. “And the last thing that we want to do is give false hope to families that have been waiting for a long time for their loved ones to come home.”
The US is seeking the release of three Americans held in Iran: Siamak Namazi, Emad Shargi and Morad Tahbaz. A number of US residents, including Shahab Dalili and Jamshid Sharmahd, are also detained on charges their families say are baseless.
On Sunday, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian told state media that an agreement on the prisoners had been reached, and “if everything goes well on the American side, then I think we will see the exchange of prisoners soon.” Iran’s top diplomat added that a deal between Iran and the United States had been “indirectly signed and approved” since March 2022.
