CNN: U.S., Iran Agree to Prisoner Swap, Release of $6B in Frozen Funds

EXCERPT:

BERTRAND: "Well, the White House told us in a statement last night that no Americans will be released into U.S. custody this week. It’s unclear when they will be. But this waiver is a key step in the process. Secretary of state Antony Blinken he approved that waiver late last week, and that allows banks in Germany, Ireland, Qatar, South Korea and Switzerland to transfer that $6 billion in restricted Iranian funds to accounts in Qatar without fear of sanctions. That is key. This waiver is a sign that a deal with Iran to free those five Americans who have been deemed wrongfully detained by the State Department is moving forward. In a notice to Congress detailing that waiver, Blinken also confirmed that as part of the deal, the U.S. has committed to release five Iranian nationals currently detained in the U.S., meaning that there is a prisoner swap aspect to this agreement. Now, as you mentioned, the prospective deal has already spurred some criticism from Republicans in Congress, who say they’re opposed to releasing any money to Iran in exchange for these detainees. But the administration, they really stressed that the funds that Iran will receive can only be used for humanitarian goods, and they will be dispersed by Qatar and overseen by the Treasury Department. The officials have also emphasized that the money is Iran’s money, which has been stored in South Korea for several years, and not U.S. taxpayer money. Now, in a statement to CNN on Monday night, National Security Council spokesperson Adrian Watson described the waiver as a 'procedural step in ongoing process to ensure Iranian funds can move from one restricted account to another and remain restricted to humanitarian aid.'"