The United States and Iran on Monday swapped five prisoners each in one of the arch-foes’ first deals in years as Tehran gained access to 6 billion dollars in frozen funds.
The five Americans freed by Iran, including one held for eight years, flew out of Tehran in a Qatari jet, hours after the unblocked funds were deposited in accounts also managed by Qatar.
The freed prisoners walked in the setting sun on the tarmac and within hours a separate us government plane shuttled them to Washington, where some will undergo medical check-ups.
The white house said Biden held an “emotional call” with families of the released prisoners, one of whom praised the president for taking the “incredibly difficult decisions” that freed them.