Iran-US prisoner swap moves closer after assets unfrozen

One of the five prisoners is Morad Tahbaz, a British-American conservationist of Iranian descent who was arrested in 2018 and received a 10-year sentence for alleged spying

Roxanne Tahbaz holds a picture of her father Morad Tahbaz, who is jailed in Iran, during a protest outside the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (Stefan Rousseau/PA)

A total of $6bn (€5.63bn) of Iranian assets once frozen in South Korea is now in Qatar, a key element for a planned swap of prisoners – including a British citizen – between Tehran and the US, an Iranian official said.

Nasser Kanaani made the comment during a news conference on state television but the feed cut immediately after his remarks without explanation.