• Middle East: Iran and USA exchange prisoners to lower tension
  • Coronavirus - US accuses Chinese, Iranian hackers of trying to steal information about vaccine
  • Gulf of Oman: 19 Iranian sailors killed in accident during military exercise

Iranians and Americans have completed an apparent hostage exchange, although denied by the parties. This Thursday afternoon Washington has confirmed that Michael White , a Navy veteran who had been imprisoned in Iran for almost two years, has boarded a plane chartered by Switzerland - representative of his interests on Iranian soil. The news comes shortly after authorities celebrated the return of Sirous Asgari , a scientist accused in 2016 of stealing secrets and later acquitted.

Joanne, White's mother, who revealed a few months ago that her son had cancer, has sentenced in a statement that "the nightmare is over." This began in July 2016, when the 46-year-old former marine was arrested in Mashhad. White had traveled to the eastern Iranian city of Mashhad to meet a young woman he had met online . According to sources, the arrest came after a complaint from her family.

In March 2019, the man was sentenced to ten years in prison on two charges: insulting the Supreme Leader and posting photos from the private sphere on social media, presumably of him with his partner. Last March, Michael White was one of thousands of beneficiaries of an authorization release granted by the authorities to prevent the massive spread of coronavirus in Iranian prisons . It was feared that, due to his poor health, White would succumb to Covid-19.

Bill Richardson, a former US ambassador to the UN, was one of the architects of Michael White's repatriation. He has confirmed to the Associated Press that the prisoner, who had been turned over to Swiss authorities three months ago, was diagnosed with coronavirus and has been recovering. Richardson had met with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and the Iranian ambassador to the UN to discuss the case.

Who also became infected was Asgari, 59 years old. The scientist and professor at Sharif Teheran Polytechnic University was accused of stealing trade secrets from an Ohio University project for the Navy . However, although a judge dropped all charges last November, the Iranian remained in custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement to date, traveling through various parts of the country and eventually contracting the disease.

Asgari's situation resulted in an exchange of tweets between Iranian and American officials, accusing each other of disinterest in repatriating their respective nationals . "The US needs to address this issue as dealing with another sovereign government," said Javad Zarif two months ago, who offered dialogue. There are at least four Americans incarcerated in Iran, which he claims a dozen of his own languish in.

A spokesman for the White family has again denounced on Thursday that the charges against Michael were "a pretext for a kidnapping to obtain a reward." Washington has blamed Iran for arresting people of concern, including dual-national activists, businessmen and academics - Iran does not recognize the foreign national - for forcing beneficial political reactions from its opponents. Although, in the same way, not only Tehran, but more and more observers point to Trump for doing the same.

In any case, and despite the proximity of both repatriations, Iran and the United States deny that what happened was an exchange of prisoners . Two days ago, Iran's foreign spokesman, Abbas Mousavi, assured that Asgari had been "released on the premise of his acquittal." Similarly, according to the AP agency, White's release is part of another prisoner agreement involving an American Iranian who is expected to remain in the United States.

HIGH VOLTAGE BETWEEN WASHINGTON AND TEHRAN

This episode is the latest in a series of timid openings dominated by a high-tension scenario between Washington and Tehran. The "maximum pressure" strategy declared by Donald Trump after arriving at the White House , and which included forcing the demolition of the nuclear agreement signed by his predecessor and reimposing sanctions, led Tehran to increase its belligerence in the region. Both countries were on the verge of colliding earlier this year, with the US murder of General Qasem Soleimani.

Although always intestines, and almost always through intermediaries such as Switzerland and Oman, negotiations between Iranians and Americans allowed another exchange last December. In that case, the Chinese-American academic Xiyue Wang could be released along with the release of Massoud Soleimani, another scientist jailed in the US accused of violating the sanctions. But other cases involving British, French and Australian nationals remain to be resolved.

In accordance with the criteria of The Trust Project

Know more

  • Iran
  • Un
  • Internet
  • Donald trump

Saudi ArabiaSaad Aljabri's hell: from leading the Saudi spy apparatus to the arrest of his children to force him to return home

Post-pandemic The defeat of the swastika: the possibility of a new Hitler

Pandemic Cheats in the race to cure coronavirus

Close links of interest

  • News
  • Programming
  • Translator
  • Calendar
  • Horoscope
  • Classification
  • League calendar
  • Films
  • Masters 2019
  • Cut notes
  • Themes
  • Portimonense - Gil Vicente
  • FC Famalicão - FC Porto
  • Maritime - Vitória Setúbal
  • Benfica - Tondela
  • Vitória Guimarães - Sporting CP