Summary

  • Five American citizens jailed for years in Iran are flying back to the US as part of a prisoner swap mediated by Qatar

  • The four men and one woman, who also hold Iranian passports, have landed in Qatar, after leaving the Iranian capital Tehran

  • Their release was dependent on the transfer of $6bn (£4.8bn) in Iranian funds, earned from selling oil to South Korea, to banks in Doha

  • Five Iranians imprisoned in the US are also supposed to be freed as part of the swap: two have landed in Doha, Iran's Press TV says

  • US President Joe Biden has long been urged to bring home Americans widely seen as hostages used by Iran as bargaining chips

  • But leading US Republicans and Iranian activists have condemned the swap, saying it will only encourage more hostage taking

Live Reporting

Edited by Nadia Ragozhina and Alexandra Fouché

  1. Highly complex deal to bring American prisoners home

    Lyse Doucet
    Chief International Correspondent

    A deal to bring American prisoners home is highly complex and deeply controversial. Even transferring the funds was tricky and took several weeks.

    The funds, in South Korean currency, were first transferred from Seoul to Swiss banks to be converted into euros. Then they were wired to Qatari banks.

    The funds - revenues from Iranian oil sales to South Korea - had not been frozen assets, but were unavailable to Iran because of various complications including currency conversion.

    A mechanism also had to be established to ensure access to the funds was strictly controlled, in line with the terms of this deal.

    Iranian officials have repeatedly claimed they can use the funds as they wish. But a western official familiar with the negotiations told the BBC the money can only be used by third parties for humanitarian purposes including the purchase of food or medicine.

    The US pushes back against critics who say Iran is being rewarded for hostage taking by saying that through months of indirect talks, mediated through Qatar, they imposed restrictions which make it possible to clinch a difficult but necessary deal to bring Americans home.

  2. Qatari jet ready in Iran to fly out US citizens - source

    Lyse Doucet
    Chief International Correspondent

    A Qatari jet is on standby in Iran to bring the five US citizens and two relatives to Doha, according to a source briefed on details of the matter.

    Iranian and US officials have been notified by Qatar that all US$6bn has been transferred to bank accounts in Qatar, a source has also said.

  3. US citizens to be transferred to airport 'soon' - report

    We're hearing that five US citizens detained by Iran will be transferred to a Tehran airport "soon" to leave for Qatar - that's according to two Iranian officials "briefed about the process" cited by Reuters.

    "They are in good health," one of the officials told the news agency.

  4. Reports: Iranian funds transferred to Doha banks

    Qatar has confirmed to Washington and Tehran that $6bn of Iranian funds have been moved from South Korea to banks in Doha, according to a source speaking to Reuters.

    The transfer of the money is a precondition of the prisoner swap deal.

  5. Who are the American prisoners?

    Composite image of Siamak Namazi, Morad Tahbaz and Emad ShargiReuters / Free the Namazis / @NedaSharghi / X

    Siamak Namazi, Morad Tahbaz and Emad Shargi are to be freed from prison under the deal

    It’s being reported that five US prisoners are being released. Three of them are reported to include:

    Siamak Namazi, 51, worked as head of strategic planning at Crescent Petroleum. He was arrested by the Revolutionary Guards in October 2015. He and his father Baquer were both sentenced to 10 years in prison by a Revolutionary Court for "co-operating with a foreign enemy state".

    Emad Shargi, 58, is a businessman who was initially detained by the Revolutionary Guards in April 2018. He was initially released when officials told him that a court had cleared him of spying charges that he had denied. However, authorities refused to return his passport.

    Morad Tahbaz, 67, is a wildlife conservationist, who also holds American and British citizenship. He was arrested during a crackdown on environmental activists in January 2018. Authorities accused Tahbaz and other conservationists of collecting classified information about Iran's strategic areas.

    You can read more about Americans held in Iran more extensively here.

  6. Iran expected to free five Americans in prisoner exchange

    Heather Sharp
    Live reporter

    Good morning. You join us as we wait to hear news of five Americans who are expected to fly home after being jailed for years.

    It's part of a deal under which five Iranians imprisoned in US jails are also set to be freed.

    The complex prisoner swap, mediated by Qatar, took a year to agree and includes the release of $6bn (£4.8bn) of money Iran has earned from selling oil to South Korea.

    Reuters is reporting that a source has confirmed the funds have now been transferred to bank accounts in Qatar’s capital Doha.

    Our International Correspondent Lyse Doucet is following the story from Doha, while our live reporters are with me in the London newsroom - stay with us for updates, reaction and analysis.