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Asharq Al-Awsat
Asharq Al-Awsat
World
Asharq Al-Awsat

Iran Says Ready for Immediate Prisoner Swap with US

An Iranian flag flutters in front of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) headquarters in Vienna, Austria, September 9, 2019. REUTERS/Leonhard Foeger/File Photo

Iran is ready to swap prisoners with the United States, Iran's foreign minister said in Germany on Saturday, adding the West would be to blame if talks to revive a 2015 nuclear deal fail as Tehran is ready to reach a good agreement.

"We believe prisoner swaps is a humanitarian issue ... unrelated to the nuclear accord. We can do it immediately," Hossein Amirabdollahian told a panel at the Munich Security Conference.

"If the nuclear talks between Tehran and world powers fail in Vienna, Western powers will be responsible for it because we want a good deal."

When asked whether Tehran was ready to hold direct talks with Washington, Amirabdollahian refrained from ruling it out by saying: "We need to see tangible steps of goodwill by Washington such as freeing Iran's frozen assets abroad".

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