Iran confirms South Korea unfreezing assets, release of prisoners from US

The ministry issued a statement on Thursday night, saying, “Iran has received the necessary assurances regarding America’s commitment to its obligations in this matter.”

The statement reads, “The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has long prioritized the lifting of restrictions on the financial resources of the Islamic Republic of Iran that have been unlawfully blocked or made difficult to access by foreign banks due to concerns over the cruel sanctions imposed by the United States.”

It went on to reiterate that, “The decision on how to utilize these unfrozen resources and financial assets lies with the Islamic Republic of Iran. The competent authorities will allocate these resources to address the various needs of the country.”

The Iranian Foreign Ministry also said “the release of several innocent Iranian prisoners who have been unlawfully detained in the United States for years under false accusations of circumventing American sanctions, will be realized in the near future.”

The New York Times had earlier reported that Iran and the US have reached a deal that would see Tehran gaining access to $6 billion in its frozen assets in South Korea and the US freeing several jailed Iranians in exchange for the release of several US nationals from Iranian prisons.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry statement says “that prisoners sought by the United States still remain in Iran.”