President Biden Thanks Qatar and South Korea Regarding the Return of US Prisoners From Iran

JAKARTA - President Joe Biden expressed his appreciation and gratitude to Korea and other countries, which have assisted in the process of repatriating five United States citizens detained in Iran.

President Biden issued a statement celebrating their release on Monday, based on a rare swap deal with Tehran, including the release of about $6 billion in Iranian funds frozen in South Korean banks due to Washington sanctions.

"I thank our partners at home and abroad for their tireless efforts to help us achieve this result, including the Governments of Qatar, Oman, Switzerland and South Korea," he said, underscoring the detainees endured "years of suffering and uncertainty." year," as reported by The Korea Times, September 19.

In particular, President Biden expressed his thanks to the Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad, and the Sultan of Oman Haitham bin Tariq who helped facilitate the agreement.

Furthermore, President Biden also reminded Americans of the "serious risks" of traveling to Iran, stressing that reuniting wrongfully detained Americans with their loved ones has been a priority of his administration.

In a separate statement, Minister of Foreign Affairs Antony Blinken also thanked South Korea.

"We also thank the Republic of Korea for its close coordination and partnership," said Foreign Minister Blinken, using the official name of the Ginseng Country.

It is known that Iranian funds in two Korean banks – Industrial Bank of Korea (IBK) and Woori Bank – have been frozen under reimposed US sanctions, after President Donald Trump withdrew from the nuclear deal in 2018.

South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement confirming the successful transfer of Iranian funds to a third country through close cooperation between relevant countries.