Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif announced today, Saturday, the completion of a prisoner exchange deal between his country and the United States mediated by Switzerland, while US President Donald Trump thanked Tehran for this "equitable" step, and confirmed his readiness to meet Iranian officials without preconditions.
Zarif said - in a tweet on Twitter - that he welcomed the decision to release Iranian university professor Masoud Soleimani who was imprisoned in the United States, and American university professor Zio Wang, who is being held in Iran, praising Switzerland's efforts to complete the exchange deal.
"I am very pleased that Professor Masoud Soleimani and Mr. Wang will soon join their families ... I appreciate all those concerned, especially the Swiss government."
The Iranian News Agency announced that the embassy of the Iranian Republic in Switzerland received Soleimani.
The American authorities arrested Soleimani in 2018 on charges of trying to circumvent the US sanctions imposed on Tehran, while Iranian authorities arrested Xiu Wang in 2016 on charges of spying for Washington.
For his part, President Trump stressed that the American professor who was imprisoned in Iran was released, and said in a statement, "After more than three years of imprisonment in Iran, Xiu Wang is returning to the United States." He added that Washington would continue to work to free all detained Americans.
Bloomberg quoted an unidentified official as saying that Trump was ready to meet Iranian officials without preconditions.
Trump thanked Iran for conducting "very fair negotiations" for the prisoner exchange, and wrote on Twitter "Did you see? We can make an agreement together."