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In
a slight thaw in U.S.-Iranian enmity, the United States allowed
Majid Taheri to travel to Iran as part of the swap deal. Michael
White, an American who said he contracted the coronavirus while
detained in Iran, was freed last week.
"The government of Iran has done an extreme effort in order to
help people like me who were somehow accused of violating the
U.S. sanctions," Taheri told state TV after his arrival at
Tehran's Imam Khomeini Airport, where he was welcomed by deputy
Foreign Minister Hossein Jaberi-Ansari.
He said he had been punished by the United States for sending
material to Iran to help a research group that was making
vaccines.
Taheri, detained in the United States for 16 months for
violating U.S. sanctions, was freed on June 4 as Iran released
White, who had been sentenced to 13 years in 2019 for insulting
Iran’s supreme leader and posting private information online.
Taheri's lawyer said he would visit family in Iran and seek
medical treatment before returning to the United States. He had
pleaded guilty to violating U.S. sanctions, the lawyer added.
"My charges were futile and unfair," Iran's semi-official Fars
news agency quoted Taheri as saying.
The prisoner swap deal is a rare bright spot in the relationship
between the two foes that has grown more hostile since President
Donald Trump took office in 2017. He exited a nuclear agreement
Iran had signed with world powers, and reimposed sanctions that
had been lifted under the deal.
Last December, Washington and Tehran worked on a prisoner
exchange in which Iran freed U.S. citizen Xiyue Wang, who had
been held for three years on spying charges, and the United
States freed Iranian Massoud Soleimani, who faced charges of
violating U.S. sanctions on Iran.
Last week, materials science professor Sirous Asgari, 59, who
was indicted by U.S. federal prosecutors in April 2016 and
acquitted in November 2019, returned to Iran. He tested positive
for the coronavirus in April and U.S. authorities had said he
would be deported once he received medical clearance.
While both Tehran and Washington have expressed readiness for
further exchange of prisoners, Iranian authorities have ruled
out a wider negotiation with the United States as demanded by
Trump administration.
The Swiss Foreign Ministry, which confirmed it played a role in
what it called "the humanitarian gesture" on White and Taheri,
said it "stands ready" to help further.
(This story removes extra word "the" in first paragraph)
(Writing by Parisa Hafezi; Editing by Peter Graff)
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