Cooling the heat: Prisoner exchange between America and Iran
The US and Iran have exchanged each other’s prisoners, keeping aside the long-standing tensions in mutual relations.
The prisoners released by both countries include an American researcher of Chinese origin and a scientist from Iran. Iran was blamed for espionage by an American researcher. At the same time, Iranian scientist was in US jail for ‘violation of sanctions’. Both the released persons had been denying any wrongdoing. READ MORE
Iran’s Foreign Minister Jawad Zarif has said that he is happy with this ‘swap’.
US President Donald Trump has also reacted to this. Trump wrote on Twitter, “Iran thanks to you for a clean deal. Look, we can compromise with each other.” READ MORE
Iran arrested US researcher Shiu Wang in the year 2016. He was accused of ‘connivance with foreign governments’.
At the same time, Iran scientist Masood Sulemani was arrested at Chicago Airport last year. He was accused of violating trade restrictions.
Significantly, relations between Iran and America have increased during recent years. These two countries do not have diplomatic relations with each other. Both countries have thanked the government of Switzerland for mediation.
Wang arrived in Zurich from Tehran via a Swiss government plane. From there he went to Germany. Where their medical checkup will be. After this, he will go home.
At the same time Sulaimani also came to Zurik and from here he would go to Iran. READ MORE
Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Jawad Zarif has posted a picture of him on Twitter after the release of Sulemani.
Iran’s foreign minister was the first to report the release of the prisoners. He wrote on Twitter, “Glad Professor Masood Sulemani and Mr Sheu Wang will be with their families soon.”
US President Donald Trump also issued a statement. In this statement, Trump said that Wang was “arrested on espionage charges.”
He went on to say, “The release of the imprisoned Americans means a lot to my administration. We will continue to work hard to bring our wrongly detained citizens back home.”
Wang’s wife Khwa Kuo has issued a statement saying, “Once again our family is complete. My son Shaofan and I have waited for this day for three long years. How many times can we meet with Shiu again Excited, it’s hard to put it into words. “
He has further said, “We are grateful to all those who have made this possible.”
Wang was studying at Princeton University. The university said in a statement that it has been ‘very happy’ with the news of Wang’s release and is looking forward to ‘welcoming her back to the campus’.
Wang was arrested by Iran in August 2016. Then he was leaving Iran.
He was doing research in Iran. He was accused of trying to gather ‘highly confidential material’ for academic institutions in the United States and Britain. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison in the case of espionage.
Sulemani was detained in October 2018. He was accused of carrying organic goods to Iran in violation of trade restrictions. The United States has imposed restrictions on Iran’s nuclear program.
Tensions have increased between the United States and Iran for the past two years.
After Donald Trump became president, the US announced its exit from the nuclear treaty with Iran in 2015. The treaty was intended to limit Iran’s nuclear program.
Iran has always been saying that the purpose of its nuclear program is peaceful, but the United States has been expressing concern that it can use it to prepare weapons.
President Trump imposed sanctions on Iran which affected the economy there.
There have been large-scale protests in Iran recently over the increase in the price of petrol. The rise in fuel prices is seen to some extent associated with US sanctions.
The US and Iran released each other’s citizens, apart from statements and sanctions that created a ruckus and tension in the relationship.
Dubai, Reuters. Apart from statements and sanctions that have created ruckus and tension in the US-Iran relationship, ‘something’ is going on. The result of this is that on Saturday, the two countries liberated each other’s citizens imprisoned in them. The occurrence of such interchange of prisoners during the tenure of President Donald Trump is considered unexpected. Trump has been spewing fire against Iran since his election campaign in 2015. A few months ago, the situation had also become warlike.
Trump said that US citizen Shiu Wang has been freed from Iran. Born in Beijing on charges of spying, Wang was imprisoned in an Iranian prison for three years. While the US has freed Iranian citizen Masood Sulemani from prison. Switzerland played the role of middleman in the exchange of prisoners. Iran’s Foreign Minister Muhammad Jawad Zarif welcomed Sulaimani, who was freed from the US in Zurich. Sulaimani is expected to reach Iran by Sunday. According to the White House, President Trump has not spoken about Sulaimani. But Wang’s release thanked him for helping the Swiss government.
Trump has said that the freedom of imprisoned Americans is very important to his administration. We will continue our efforts for the release of US citizens who are lodged in foreign jails on false charges. While Jawad Zarif has posted his photo with Sulemani on Twitter. Zarif tweeted — Glad that Professor Masood Sulemani and Sheu Wang will meet their families soon. Many thanks to all those who contributed to this work, including the Government of Switzerland.
Iranian news agency Irna says Wang has been released under the pity of pervasive Islam. Wang, a graduate from Princeton University in the US, was sentenced to ten years of imprisonment in 2017 by an Iranian court convicted of espionage. Wang and his family say that he went to Iran in connection with research work. While Professor Sulaimani from Iran is a stem cell expert. He was arrested from Chicago Airport in 2018 when he was sending some items of biology to Iran. It was a violation of US sanctions on Iran.
It is noteworthy that the Ambassador of Switzerland also serves as the US representative in Iran. This system has been in operation since 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran. Then the US and Iran ended mutual diplomatic relations.
Originally published at https://www.mubahisa.in.