No sanctions relief for Iran under tentative deal to free five Iranian-Americans: Blinken

Speaking to reporters on Thursday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Washington would offer no sanctions relief to Iran under a delicate agreement, which recently saw the regime move five Iranian-Americans from prison to house arrest.

The prison transfer was an expected move and came in exchange for $6 billion to $7 billion frozen in South Korea, a key US ally, as a result of sanctions. The money would reach Iran via Qatar if the deal goes through, Iranian officials said.

“In any event, in any respect, Iran will not be receiving any sanctions relief,” Blinken stressed. He said the US has been in contact with the families of the five detainees, adding his belief is “this is the beginning of the end of their nightmare.”

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Iran doesn’t recognise dual citizenship. The final financial transaction and the full release of the prisoners are expected in September or so. The five would now likely be transferred to a hotel under guard, said Jared Genser, who represents one of the detainees.

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Meanwhile, the regime continues to seek the release of Iranians held in detention in the US. Tehran and Washington share a fragile history of prisoner swaps. American officials are yet to comment on how many Iranian prisoners might be released as part of a final agreement.

While Iranian officials have called the recent transfer “a significant initial step“, the tentative deal is bound to subject US President Joe Biden to a fresh wave of criticism from Republicans and others over his administration helping bolster the Iranian economy.