Iran Releases Americans in Deal Aimed at Easing Mideast Tensions
www.bnnbloomberg.ca

... As part of the swap, the Biden administration is releasing five Iranians held in US custody. But the most controversial element was the US move to allow Iran to access $6 billion in oil revenue that had been frozen in South Korean banks due to sanctions.

The US says that money can be used solely for food, medicine and other humanitarian purposes, but Iran has said it can spend the funds as it wishes. In any case, critics in Washington contend it will free up funds Iran can spend on what they call its malign activity in the region.

The moves follow months of mostly secret diplomacy between Tehran and Washington, with talks conducted via interlocutors such as Oman and Qatar.

Although US officials have said there's no bigger deal in the works, they've also said that freeing the prisoners removes at least one obstacle to broader diplomacy aimed at restoring limits on Iran's nuclear program. ...