taxpayer dollars and denied it was a ransom. The United States declined to confirm the amount of money involved but said it did not concern U.S. The release of the Americans is part of a larger deal involving $6 billion to $7 billion frozen in South Korea, Iran acknowledged. U.S.-Iranian relations have also declined due to a failure to revive the Iran nuclear deal. The death in September of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in police custody for allegedly wearing a mandatory head scarf improperly further fueled the demonstrations, which officials across the country have tried to quell with harsh measures. Unrest over declining living standards, wage arrears, and a lack of welfare support has also wracked the country. Relations between the United States and Iran have sunk to new lows in recent years over the continued sanctions, which have contributed to the country's sagging economy. That same day, the United States airlifted $400 million in cash to Tehran. Rezaian’s release in early 2016 was part of the most recent major prisoner exchange between Washington and Tehran and came as Iran and the United States, Britain, China, France, Germany, and Russia concluded negotiations on the Iran nuclear deal to restrict its nuclear program in return for the easing of sanctions.įour American captives, including Rezaian, flew home from Iran, and several Iranians in the United States won their freedom. and Iran, but ultimately, I think it can be a step towards further interaction,” said Rezaian, who was Tehran bureau chief for The Washington Post when he was put on trial and jailed for espionage - a charge that he denied. "As far as I can tell everyone has tried to separate this deal from anything nuclear related or other security discussions between the U.S. The United States and other world powers then had just negotiated the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), commonly referred to as the Iran nuclear deal. The circumstances appear to be different now than they were when Rezaian was released in 2016, he said. Prisoners Moved From Iranian Prison Amid Reports Of Prisoner Swap Gone too was the pomp of fighter jet flyovers, massive columns of tanks, and most other military hardware, though leaders of former Soviet states including Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Belarus, Turkmenistan, and Armenia attended the military parade, a sign of how much sway the Kremlin still has in Central Asia and other regions near Russia. Putin presided over scaled-down commemorations, while parades in several other cities were canceled and traditional processions in which people carry portraits of relatives who fought against the Nazis were scrapped. Guterres said he hoped it would be possible "in the future" to bring Russia and Ukraine to the negotiating table. It is clear that the two sides "are completely absorbed in this war" and "are convinced that they can win," Guterres said in an interview published on May 9 by the Spanish daily newspaper El Pais. In contrast, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen arrived in Kyiv on May 9 hours after a volley of Russian missiles were launched at the Ukrainian capital, saying she was happy to be in a country "where the values we hold dear are defended every day."Īs the events commemorating European unity in Kyiv and the end of World War II in Moscow took place, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said peace negotiations to end the conflict in Ukraine were "not possible at this moment." He accused what he called "Western globalist elites" of "sowing hatred, Russophobia, aggressive nationalism," and destroying "family, traditional values," refrains he has used often since he launched his unprovoked invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. For all of RFE/RL's coverage of the war in Ukraine, click here. RFE/RL's Live Briefinggives you all of the latest developments on Russia's full-scale invasion, Kyiv's counteroffensive, Western military aid, global reaction, and the plight of civilians.
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