Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said on Tuesday that Tehran has no pre-conditions for a prisoner swap deal with the United States.
Abdollahian stated that Iran has been for months discussing prisoner swaps with Washington via Oman and Qatar, and that Iran has announced its readiness to exchange prisoners to intermediary parties.
The Iranian FM was then asked about reports saying the total of US citizens detained in Iran has increased to five after the arrest of an American woman of Iranian origins.
“The number is not important in this file,” Abdollahian said.
“The issue of prisoner exchange is a humanitarian one and we do not consider any preconditions for it. We have announced to the intermediary parties that we will exchange prisoners within agreed frameworks,” the top Iranian diplomat added, according to ISNA.
Abdollahian’s comments came hours after he held a phone call with his Omani counterpart Sayyid Badr Al Busaidi.
The two ministers discussed the latest developments regarding their ties and the implementation of the deals signed between the two sides, Iran's Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
Iran’s extremist newspaper, Khorasan, said Monday that the US suspended a deal to release four US nationals in Iran in return for four Iranian prisoners in the US “until the release of the US woman arrested” over spying charges.
State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller declined to confirm or deny the arrest of the fifth US citizen when asked about the issue during his daily press conference on Monday evening.
Meanwhile, Abdollahian arrived in the Japanese capital on Sunday where he held talks with senior government officials. Discussions touched on the bilateral relations between the two countries and other regional and international issues.
Abdollahian said that Japan put forward proposals on indirect negotiations with the aim of reviving the nuclear agreement and stopping Iranian nuclear violations in return for lifting sanctions.
He said that Iran is seeking ways to reactivate the nuclear agreement through negotiations and expressed appreciation for Japan’s diplomatic efforts.
Meanwhile, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov visited Tehran and held talks with his Iranian counterparts, Ali Bagheri Kani Reza Najaf on the future of the Iran nuclear deal and other security issues, ISNA said late on Monday.
Ryabkov and Bagheri Kani exchanged views on the implementation of Resolution 2231. The Russian official then invited Iran to continue its cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) despite US obstacles.
Ryabkov further said the revival of the Iran nuclear deal hinges on the decision of the United States and European participants in the JCPOA, expressing certainty that the Iranian friends are ready for the JCPOA revival.
Ryabkov then stated that Russia supports Iran's membership in the BRICS group.
He said that the military cooperation between Iran and Russia will continue despite the enemies' opposition, adding that Russia is committed to cooperation with its friendly countries like Iran.
Tehran on Tuesday organized an ‘Iran and BRICS: Prospects for Partnership and Cooperation’ conference.
At the event, Abdollahian said Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi will participate in the BRICS summit, which will be held this month in Johannesburg.
Iran is trying to convince BRICS members to accept its request to join the organization.
