Middle East

U.S. Denies Iran Deal To Release Prisoners

Iranian state TV claims the U.S. will release $7B in funds for the release of 4 American prisoners.

U.S. Denies Iran Deal To Release Prisoners
Vahid Salemi / AP
Article by Johannah Grenaway
SMS
May 2, 2021

American officials are denying an Iranian television report that the U.S. and the U.K. will release billions of dollars in frozen assets in exchange for prisoners. 

According to Iranian state TV, a deal was made between the U.S. and Tehran involving a prisoner swap of four Iranians who were active in bypassing sanctions for four Americans and $7 billion in frozen Iranian funds.

State TV also quoted the official as saying a deal had been reached for the United Kingdom to pay 400 million pounds for the release of a British-Iranian woman, which the U.K. has downplayed.

U.S. State Department spokesman and White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain are denying the report.

"Unfortunately, that report is untrue," Klain told CBS' "Face The Nation." "There is no agreement to release these four Americans. We're working very hard to get them released. We raised this with Iran and our interlocutors all the time, but so far there’s no agreement to bring these four Americans home."

Additional reporting by The Associated Press.