Iran said last week’s deal with the US on the release of prisoners and frozen funds could lead to diplomacy in other areas including its nuclear program.
(Bloomberg) — Iran said last week’s deal with the US on the release of prisoners and frozen funds could lead to diplomacy in other areas including its nuclear program.
The prisoner deal isn’t “directly related” to talks on Iran’s atomic work “but the issues can affect each other,” Foreign Ministry Spokesman Nasser Kanaani said in a press conference in Tehran.
“Developments in one area can be conducive to easing tensions and opening up other paths,” he added.
Iran transferred four US citizens from prison to house arrest on Friday as part of a deal in which the US is expected to unfreeze $6 billion of Iranian assets stuck abroad due to sanctions. Iran said it will release the prisoners once it gets the money.
The US unilaterally withdrew from an agreement that curbed Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief in 2018. Since then Iran has increased its enrichment of uranium to near weapons grade and formal efforts to revive the nuclear deal have been inconclusive.
–With assistance from Patrick Sykes.
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