The administration of United States President Joe Biden has cleared the way for the release of five American citizens detained in Iran by issuing a blanket waiver for international banks to transfer six billion dollars in frozen Iranian money from South Korea to Qatar without fear of sanctions.
In addition, as part of the deal, the administration has agreed to release five Iranian citizens held in the US.
US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken signed off on the sanctions waivers after US and Iranian officials said an agreement in principle was in place.
The outlines of the deal had been previously announced and the waiver was expected. But the notification marked the first time the administration said it was releasing five Iranian prisoners as part of the deal. The prisoners have not been named.
The waiver drew criticism from Republicans and others who say the deal will boost the Iranian economy at a time when that country poses a growing threat to US troops and allies in the Middle East.
Join our twitter community :
