The US and Iran have reached an agreement to exchange prisoners in the near future, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian said on Sunday.
Amiradbollahian made the announcement during a Sunday appearance on Iranian state television, though the US has yet to confirm a trade. The State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.
“Regarding the issue of prisoner exchange between Iran and the US, we have reached an agreement in recent days and if all goes well on the US side, I think we will soon witness a prisoner exchange,” Amirabdollahian said. .
“Everything is ready from our side, while the US is currently doing the final technical coordination,” he added.
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Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian says the US and Iran have reached an agreement on the exchange of prisoners. (Reuters)
The US State Department has not confirmed Iranian reports that an agreement has been reached on the prison exchange. (Photo by Johannes Simon/Getty Images)
Several US citizens are currently being held in Iranian custody, including for espionage and cooperation with the US government. The detainees include Iranian-American businessmen Siamak Namazi and Emad Sharghi, as well as environmental activist Morad Tahbaz, who holds Iranian, American and British citizenship.
For years, Tehran has sought the release of more than a dozen Iranians in the United States, including seven Iranian-American dual nationals, two Iranians with permanent U.S. residency, and four Iranian citizens without legal status in the United States.
Amiradbollahian did not elaborate on the details of the agreement he said had been reached.
The exchange would be the first high-profile prisoner exchange since the US traded a world-class arms dealer in exchange for WNBA star Brittney Griner in a December deal with Russia.
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The US traded a world-class arms dealer for WNBA star Brittney Griner in a deal with Russia. The US can now conduct an exchange with Iran. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)
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Griner was held in Russian custody for months after police discovered she had cannabis in her possession.
Reuters contributed to this report.
Anders Hagstrom is a reporter at Fox News Digital covering national politics and major news events. Send tips to [email protected], or on Twitter: @Hagstrom_Anders.
