Confusion around US-Iran prisoner swap as Tehran puts out its own narrative
Iran's official explanation of the prisoner swap agreement carried discrepancies with the one confirmed by the American side, most notably on how Tehran could potentially access and spend $6 billion in funds once unfrozen.
Hours after Washington announced having reached a long-stalled prisoner swap deal with Tehran, the Iranian Foreign Ministry came out with its own confirmation — one which bore striking differences.
The swap deal is expected to see the release of five US nationals held in Iran in exchange for an unspecified number of Iranians jailed in the United States. It will also see the unfreezing of $6 billion in Iranian assets from South Korean banks.
US officials have said the funds will be transferred to a Qatari bank account, but that Iran will be allowed to use them only for "humanitarian purposes."
However, in a statement on its official website late Thursday, Iran's Foreign Ministry declared that under the deal, Tehran will have full authority over how it will use the funds. "These financial resources will be applied to varying demands of the country, and a decision on how to spend them rests with the relevant [Iranian] institutions," the statement read.
