The Biden administration is holding indirect discussions with Iran on a possible prisoner exchange in a bid to secure the release of American citizens imprisoned in Iran, with Qatar and the United Kingdom playing an intermediary role in the talks, according to four sources familiar with the matter.
The negotiations have made progress, but it remains unclear if a final agreement will be reached, the sources said.
This month, Qatari Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani met his Iranian counterpart, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, and “conveyed messages from the U.S. to the Iranians which included points on the prisoner release,” said a source with knowledge of the talks.
Iran’s U.N. mission in New York did not respond to a request for comment. Asked about possible indirect negotiations, the Biden administration has suggested it has methods for relaying messages to Iran, "but we’re not going to detail them."
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“We remain committed to securing the freedom of all U.S. citizens who continue to be wrongfully detained overseas, including Siamak Namazi, Emad Shargi, and Morad Tahbaz, and we continue to work to bring them home, but we have nothing to announce at this time,” a State Department spokesperson said.
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