Contrary to claims by ‘bitter people’, Iran will have ‘full access’ to released assets: Pundit

A senior Iranian academic and political analyst says Tehran will have "full and direct" access to its funds illegally blocked in South Korea when they are released following a recent prisoner swap deal between Iran and the United States.

In a Thursday post on Twitter, which has recently been rebranded as X, Mohammad Marandi, a professor at the University of Tehran, dismissed certain "dishonest" claims made by "bitter" people about the country's access to its $6 billion worth of funds that have been illegally frozen in South Korea under the pretext of being subject to US sanctions.

"Iran will have full and direct access to its released assets, there will be no Qatari companies involved," Marandi wrote. 

He added that Iranian banks will have full control and can "purchase goods and services without any limitation or restriction."

In a statement on Thursday, the Iranian Foreign Ministry announced the start of a process to unblock $6 billion worth of the country’s assets that were frozen in South Korea, emphasizing, "Iran has received the necessary guarantee for the United States' commitment to its obligations in this regard."

In addition to unfreezing the funds, the ministry added, the release of those Iranian prisoners who had been arrested and held across American jails "illegally and under the vain pretext of their bypassing of the US's oppressive sanctions will be realized soon.

Foreign Ministry: Release of South Korea-held Iranian funds underway

The Foreign Ministry says the process of release of Iran

However, the American journalist and foreign policy expert, Barbara Slavin, in an online post claimed that Iran has no direct access to the funds at all and can only "submit orders to a bank in Doha for food and medicine and a limited number of medical equipment."

"The bank in Doha would pay for the goods, and Qatari companies would deliver them to Iran," she tweeted.

Iran's mission at the United Nations on Thursday confirmed that American inmates had been transferred out of Tehran's Evin prison as part of the prisoner swap deal with the United States, mediated by a third country, IRNA reported.

Based on the agreement, "the two sides will mutually release the 5 prisoners in question and make them subject to amnesty."

US media outlets including The New York Times and CNN claimed that four of the American prisoners had been already released from Evin prison and moved in recent weeks to house arrest. They added that a fifth American prisoner was already under house arrest in the country.

Despite having no diplomatic relations with the US, Iranian officials have said in the past that they will be open to prisoner exchange talks with the US out of respect for humanitarian issues.

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.ir