![]() ![]() Iran says it has treated the Americans lawfully and humanely, rejecting accusations from the United Nations and human rights groups that the Americans were detained on false charges. Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi speaks with NBC News' Lester Holt in Tehran. Babak Namazi, his brother, has said that Namazi was subject to beatings. Siamak Namazi, who has been imprisoned in Iran since 2015, has said he was held in solitary confinement for the first 27 months of his incarceration. sanctions.Īlthough Raisi said the five American prisoners were well, their families say they have been subject to lengthy interrogations and mistreatment. The Biden administration informed Congress on Monday that it had taken concrete steps to clear the way for the prisoner exchange, issuing a waiver that allows international banks to transfer the $6 billion to Qatar without the threat of U.S. ![]() “This money belongs to the Iranian people, the Iranian government, so the Islamic Republic of Iran will decide what to do with this money,” he said, according to an Iranian government translator.Īsked if the money would be used for other purposes apart from humanitarian needs, Raisi said: “Humanitarian means whatever the Iranian people needs, so this money will be budgeted for those needs, and the needs of the Iranian people will be decided and determined by the Iranian government.” ![]() In the interview, Raisi said that Iran would have “authority” over how the funds would be spent. “The money can only be used for humanitarian purposes, and we will remain vigilant in watching the spending of those funds and have the ability to freeze them again if we need to,” State Department spokesperson Matt Miller told reporters.Ĭritics of the deal argue that by giving Iran access to the blocked funds, the Biden administration is allowing Tehran to free up other money that it could use to buy weapons or back proxies in the Mideast. ![]()
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