Washington 0
4 June 2020

Iran released Michael White, a U.S. citizen detained in 2018, and the U.S. allowed Majid Taheri, an Iranian-American dual national jailed for sanctions violations, to visit Iran. Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif said he was “pleased that Dr. Majid Taheri and Mr. White will soon be joining their families… this can happen for all prisoners. No need for cherry picking. Iranian hostages held in, and on behalf of, the U.S. should come home”. In a statement, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo asserted that “while we are pleased that Iran was constructive in this matter, there is more work to do. The U.S. will not rest until we bring every American detained in Iran and around the world back home to their loved ones”. President Trump tweeted “thank you to Iran, it shows a deal is possible!”, and a few hours later, again by Twitter, said: “Thank you to Iran. Don’t wait until after the U.S. election to make the big deal. I’m going to win. You’ll make a better deal now!”. Zarif replied: “we achieved humanitarian swap despite your subordinates’ efforts… and we had a deal when you entered office. Iran and other JCPOA participants never left the table. Your advisors – mostly fired by now – made a dumb bet. Up to you do decide when you want to fix it”.   

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