US says Iran’s allegation of prisoner swap deal ‘cruel lie’

By Zehra Nur Duz

ANKARA (AA) - A US official on Sunday rejected allegations by Iran that a prisoner swap agreement had been reached between the two countries.

“Statements from Iranian officials that a deal regarding the exchange of prisoners has been reached are another especially cruel lie that only adds to the suffering of their families,” State Department spokesperson Ned Price told CNN.

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian made a claim on Sunday that a prisoner exchange deal had been reached between the two nations.

Speaking to the state broadcaster, Amir-Abdollahian said the deal was clinched recently between the two sides, ending year-long efforts marked by multiple interruptions.

"Regarding the issue of the exchange of prisoners between Iran and the US, we have reached an agreement in recent days,” he said.

“If everything goes well” on the American side, the swap will happen “in a short period”, he added.

The issue of prisoners has been one of the key sticking points in Vienna nuclear talks, with Tehran repeatedly asking Washington to not tie the issue with the nuclear deal.

The Biden administration has repeatedly called for the release of dual nationals detained in Iran over spying charges, including Siamak Namazi, Emad Shargi and Morad Tahbaz.

Namazi is an Iranian-American businessman who has been jailed in Iran since 2015. Shargi, also an Iranian-American businessman, has been in Iranian jail since 2018. Tahbaz, an Iranian-American environmentalist who also holds a British passport, was jailed in early 2018.​​​​​​​