Iran urges U.S. to free all ‘innocent Iranians’ immediately
A top rights official of Iran blamed the United States for having arrested “tens of innocent Iranians” under the pretext of circumventing its “cruel and inhumane” sanctions, urging Washington to free “all guiltless” nationals of the country immediately.
Kazem Gharibabadi, the Iranian Judiciary chief’s deputy for international affairs and secretary of the country’s High Council for Human Rights, made the remarks in a tweet on Tuesday a few hours after Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani said in a statement that Iran is ready for the “immediate" implementation of the existing agreement with the United States on prisoner swap.
Gharibabadi added the last two Iranian citizens detained by the United States despite being innocent are “Messrs. Sarhangpour and Attar Kashani.”
He said, “Sarhangpour is held under dire conditions. A non-U.S. resident, he was forced to pay the rent for the apartment in which he is placed under arrest. His access to emergency medical care is denied. He was forced to pay the exorbitant treatment costs. Barbaric!”
In his Wednesday remarks, Kanaani reaffirmed Tehran’s commitment and determination to implement the deal concerning the issue of prisoners, calling on the United States to fulfill its commitments rather than “performing theatrical shows”.
“The Islamic Republic has, through various channels, repeatedly announced its readiness to the American side to address the issue of the prisoners regardless of the JCPOA,” the spokesman asserted, referring to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
He urged the United States to release jailed Iranian citizens without any preconditions.
“We are ready to enable the emancipation and expeditious return of innocent Iranians, who have fallen victim to the injustice [practiced] by the U.S. legal establishment based on the hollow accusations of [them] violating the oppressive and illegal American sanctions,” Kanaani added.
The agreement was reached in Vienna on the sidelines of negotiations concerning the revival of a 2015 nuclear deal with world powers.
Tehran has repeatedly said it is ready for a prisoner exchange with the United States based on the agreement and independently of the JCPOA, which Washington unilaterally abandoned in May 2018 despite Iran’s full and strict compliance.
Source: Iran Daily