Rare highlights of Iran US relations? Both parties have reached an agreement: prisoner release for funds | Iran United States

According to foreign media reports, US and Iranian officials revealed on August 10th that Iran has transferred five imprisoned Americans from prison to home arrest in exchange for the release of billions of dollars in Iranian funds in South Korea. This is part of a preliminary agreement reached between the two countries in the tense US Iran relationship. Public opinion believes that this marks a rare highlight in US Iran relations, but there are still variables in the future progress of the agreement.

Related to frozen funds in Iran

The Permanent Mission of Iran to the United Nations revealed on the 10th that Iran and the United States have agreed to release and pardon five prisoners from each other. It is reported that Iran has released four American prisoners and placed them under home arrest. Another American has previously been placed under house arrest.

Iranian officials told the Associated Press that these American prisoners who have been placed under house arrest mark an important first step for Iran and the United States in implementing relevant agreements. At present, the relevant agreement is still under negotiation and may ultimately lead these Americans to leave Iran and return home.

Iran claims that the agreement involves frozen funds of $6 billion to $7 billion in South Korea. If the agreement is successfully reached, this funds will first be transferred to a special account managed by Qatar, and then transferred to Iran. It is reported that Iran can use this account to purchase humanitarian supplies such as food and medicine.

Iranian officials also stated that due to the complexity of handling the funds, it is expected that the final transfer of funds and the release of five American prisoners will be completed around next month.

According to Agence France Presse, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that Iran had changed five American prisoners to house arrest at home, which was a "positive step" and "the beginning of the end of their nightmare". He expects them to eventually return to the United States, but more work needs to be done. Antony Blinken also said that the United States will not provide any sanctions relief to Iran, and the unfrozen funds will only be used for humanitarian purposes.

The White House also appreciated Iran's move, but refused to elaborate on the specific details of reaching a broader agreement with Iran, stating that negotiations are "still ongoing and could easily break down.".

It is understood that the five Americans allowed to be transferred from prison include Iranian American businessman Siam al Namazi, Iranian American Murad Tahbaz who holds British citizenship, and Imad Shaghi who holds dual US and Iranian citizenship. The identities of the other two have not been revealed.

Rare highlights of US Iran relations?

The Washington Post reported that the latest developments mark a rare highlight in US Iran relations. For many years, both the US and Iran have shown extreme distrust towards each other.

Henry Rome, an analyst at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy Studies, also believes that the relevant agreement may ease the tension since the United States withdrew from the comprehensive agreement on the Iranian nuclear issue.

According to insiders, progress has been made in negotiations between the two sides regarding the release of prisoners, with Qatar playing an indispensable role, including Switzerland, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, and Iraq.

In 2018, the United States unilaterally withdrew from the Iran nuclear agreement and subsequently restarted and added a series of sanctions against Iran. Since May 2019, Iran has gradually suspended the fulfillment of some provisions of the agreement, but has promised to take "reversible" measures.

After the Biden administration came to power, it promised to restore the Iran nuclear agreement. Since April 2021, the parties involved in the Iran nuclear agreement have held multiple rounds of negotiations in the Austrian capital Vienna to discuss the resumption of US Iran compliance. The US has indirectly participated in the negotiations, but the negotiations have since come to a standstill.

However, in June of this year, according to insiders, the United States resumed diplomatic contact with Iran at the end of last year and held secret consultations with Iran on restricting Iran's nuclear program and releasing imprisoned American citizens. The two sides held indirect talks. The US goal is to reach an "informal, unwritten" agreement, which some Iranian officials refer to as a "political ceasefire.".

External attention, is this "informal" agreement also close to being reached?

The US State Department has previously denied reports that the relevant agreement is being reached, calling it a "false and misleading rumor.". But external analysis suggests that this denial may only be "semantic" and belongs to a word game.

US officials previously insisted that the prisoner release talks were not related to nuclear talks. But European officials have expressed their hope that progress on the release of prisoners can pave the way for more effective negotiations on the Iranian nuclear issue.

Some analyses also point out that, considering the long-term confrontation between the United States and Iran, there are still variables in the future of the relevant agreement. The opposition within the United States may also hinder relevant negotiations.

At present, this plan of "exchanging prisoners for funds to unfreeze" has attracted criticism from some members of the US Congress and politicians.

The Chief Republican Senator of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Richie, criticized that unfreezing funds would only "encourage more hostage taking behavior and provide unexpected gains for the regime's aggressive behavior.". He claimed that the Biden administration must punish those who use Americans as political pawns and end this practice.