DUBAI, DECEMBER 8
The United States and Iran swapped prisoners — a Chinese-American detained for three years on spying charges and an imprisoned Iranian — on Saturday in a rare act of cooperation between two longtime foes whose ties have worsened since President Trump took office.
Trump said Chinese-American Xiyue Wang was returning to the United States. An Iranian official said that Iranian Massoud Soleimani had been freed from detention in the US. Switzerland facilitated the swap and Iranian state news agency IRNA said foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif welcomed Soleimani in Zurich, where it said the swap took place. It said Soleimani was expected to return to Iran in the coming hours.
In a statement issued by the White House, Trump made no mention of the freeing of Soleimani but thanked the Swiss government for its help in negotiating Wang’s release.
“Freeing Americans held captive is of vital importance to my Administration, and we will continue to work hard to bring home all our citizens wrongfully held captive overseas,” he said.
Zarif said earlier the prisoner swap was imminent. Later he posted pictures on Twitter of himself with Soleimani talking on board an Iranian plane. “Glad that Professor Massoud Soleimani and Mr. Xiyue Wang will be joining their families shortly. Many thanks to all engaged, particularly the Swiss government,” Zarif tweeted.
IRNA reported that Wang was released based on “Islamic clemency”.
Switzerland represents US diplomatic interests in Iran, since Washington and Tehran cut diplomatic ties shortly after the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran. A US official said that Brian Hook, the US special representative for Iran, accompanied Soleimani to Switzerland to make the exchange and Hook and Wang were now “en route to Landstuhl in Germany where Wang will be examined by doctors”. It said Wang was expected to stay in Germany for several days. Landstuhl is home to an American military medical centre.
US secretary of state Mike Pompeo said in a tweet that he was “pleased that the Iranian government has been constructive in this matter”. He added “we will not rest until we bring every American detained in Iran and around the world back home”.
Courtesy – REUTERS
