Iran Says Prisoner Exchange Process with US Will Take Up to Two Months

Iran's and US' flags are seen printed on paper in this illustration taken January 27, 2022. (Reuters)
Iran's and US' flags are seen printed on paper in this illustration taken January 27, 2022. (Reuters)
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Iran Says Prisoner Exchange Process with US Will Take Up to Two Months

Iran's and US' flags are seen printed on paper in this illustration taken January 27, 2022. (Reuters)
Iran's and US' flags are seen printed on paper in this illustration taken January 27, 2022. (Reuters)

The process of releasing US prisoners held in Iran will take up to two months, Iran's Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Nasser Kanaani said on Monday during a press conference. 

"A specific time frame has been announced by relevant authorities, and it will take a maximum of two months for this process to take place," Kanaani said. 

Earlier this month, Tehran and Washington reached an agreement whereby five US citizens held in Iran would be freed while $6 billion of Iranian assets frozen in South Korea would be released. 

South Korean media reported on Monday that the assets have been transferred to Switzerland's central bank last week for exchange and transfer to Iran. 

The Swiss National Bank plans to exchange the $6 billion holdings in won for dollars and then euros in the currency market, converting about 300 billion won ($223.85 million) to 400 billion each day for next five weeks, Yonhap Infomax reported, citing an unnamed currency market source.  

An official at South Korea's finance ministry declined to confirm the report, citing the legal and diplomatic sensitivity of the matter.  

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said last week that the released assets would be used to enhance domestic production. 



Iran Says Technical Nuclear Meeting with US Postponed to Saturday

People walk past shops in the Grand Bazaar in Tehran, Iran, 21 April 2025. (EPA)
People walk past shops in the Grand Bazaar in Tehran, Iran, 21 April 2025. (EPA)
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Iran Says Technical Nuclear Meeting with US Postponed to Saturday

People walk past shops in the Grand Bazaar in Tehran, Iran, 21 April 2025. (EPA)
People walk past shops in the Grand Bazaar in Tehran, Iran, 21 April 2025. (EPA)

Iran's foreign ministry said on Tuesday that a technical, expert-level nuclear meeting with the United States will be held on Saturday, several days after the date initially planned.

"Following Oman's proposal and the agreement of the Iranian and American delegations, the technical consultative meeting between the two countries, which was to be held as part of the indirect talks between the two sides on Wednesday, has been postponed to Saturday," said foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei.

US President Donald Trump has been seeking an agreement that would curb Iran's nuclear program, which Washington believes is aimed at developing a nuclear weapon.

American and Iranian officials have so far held two rounds of talks, one in Muscat and the second in Rome.

Trump has threatened to bomb Iran unless a deal is reached; Iran denies seeking atomic weapons.