President Joe Biden has secured a $6 billion prisoner swap agreement.
Five Americans are to return to the United States in exchange for jailed Iranians.
The Americans were unjustly held on spying charges.
The U.S. will also unfreeze almost $6 billion of Iran’s assets in South Korea.
Spokesperson for the National Security Council Adrienne Watson said in a statement, “We have received confirmation that Iran has released from prison five Americans who were unjustly detained and has placed them on house arrest. While this is an encouraging step, these U.S. citizens — Siamak Namazi, Morad Tahbaz, Emad Shargi, and two Americans who at this time wish to remain private — should have never been detained in the first place.”
“We will continue to monitor their condition as closely as possible. Of course, we will not rest until they are all back home in the United States,” the statement noted.
“Until that time, negotiations for their eventual release remain ongoing and are delicate. We will, therefore, have little in the way of details to provide about the state of their house arrest or about our efforts to secure their freedom.”
Fox News was told by a source familiar with the matter, “We expect this process to take weeks before they return home to U.S.”
Reporting from Fox News:
Iranian media in the past identified several prisoners of interest with cases tied to violations of U.S. export laws and restrictions on doing business with Iran. The alleged violations include the transfer of funds through Venezuela and sales of dual-use equipment that the U.S. alleges could be used in Iran’s military and nuclear programs. Iran has been enriching uranium and stockpiling it as part of its advancing nuclear program.
