2023-09-18 08:07:05
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iranian assets worth about $6 billion that were frozen in South Korea have been moved to Qatar, an Iranian official said Monday, in a key piece of the prisoner swap planned between Tehran and the United States.
Nasser Kanaani made the comment during a press conference broadcast on state television, although the signal was cut immediately after his unexplained remarks.
Iranian news agencies immediately reported, citing Kanaani, that the prisoner swap would take place on Monday. The agencies did not immediately provide further information.
Iran announced a few weeks earlier that five Iranian-Americans were under house arrest as a gesture to establish trust while Seoul authorized the frozen assets, which were in Korean won, to be converted to euros. That money would then be sent to Qatar, an interlocutor between Tehran and Washington in the negotiations.
The exchange was organized as the United States significantly strengthens its military presence in the Persian Gulf, with the possibility of American troops boarding and escorting commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz, through which 20% of global crude oil shipments pass. .
The deal has also exposed U.S. President Joe Biden to new criticism from Republicans and others who say the government is helping boost the Iranian economy at a time when Tehran poses a growing threat to U.S. troops and its allies in the Middle East. The issue could also affect his re-election campaign.
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