Doha-mediated deal noticed Iran free 5 People in change for 5 Iranians held within the US and switch of $6bn in Iranian funds.
Qatar’s Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani has obtained a telephone name from United States President Joe Biden who has thanked the Gulf nation’s emir for his assist in mediating a landmark prisoner swap take care of Iran.
The emir’s workplace mentioned in a press release on Tuesday that Biden spoke positively of Doha’s “lively and constructive” efforts in world politics.
“Throughout the name, the strategic relations between the 2 nations and elements of supporting and strengthening them in varied fields had been reviewed,” the Amiri Diwan, or the emir’s workplace, mentioned within the assertion.
The telephone name got here days after Iran and the US exchanged five prisoners held of their respective nations, a part of a deal that additionally included the unfreezing of $6bn in Iranian funds.
The deal was reached amid tensions between the US and Iran after Washington unilaterally withdrew from a nuclear settlement in 2018.
5 US residents beforehand detained by Iran had been flown to the Qatari capital of Doha on September 18. The US additionally launched 5 Iranian prisoners.
Biden later mentioned the swap deal had introduced an finish to “years of agony, uncertainty, and struggling” for these detained.
Nevertheless, relations between Washington and Tehran stay extremely strained, with few indicators of bettering anytime quickly, at the same time as Iran and US ally Saudi Arabia take cautious steps in direction of easing tensions after years of competing for affect all through the area.
A number of rounds of oblique negotiations have didn’t revive the previous nuclear accord, often called the Joint Complete Plan of Motion (JCPOA), during which Iran accepted curbs on its nuclear programme in change for aid from US sanctions.
Different occasions, resembling Iran’s harsh crackdown on protesters, the alleged sale of drones to Russia in assist of its battle in Ukraine and the seizure of oil tankers within the Strait of Hormuz, have additionally contributed to deteriorating relations.
The prisoner swap was additionally politically contentious within the US, with extra hawkish lawmakers in Congress slamming it as a concession to Iran.
The Biden administration defended the settlement, saying it allowed what the US maintained had been individuals wrongfully detained in Iran to return dwelling.