Iran and the United States completed a prisoner exchange after a two-year process. The swap proved tedious, requiring indirect negotiations between Oman and Qatar, and The United States and Iran. The exchange consisted of 5 Americans for 5 Iranians including the transfer of 6 billion Iranian Rials, previously frozen by the United States in South Korea. This is the first exchange where the United States adds money to the deal. South Korea’s Compliance with unilateral sanctions inflicted this freeze on Iran following The United States’ withdrawal from Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal. The foreign ministry of Iran confirmed that two of the Iranians held would remain in the United States, and two returned to Iran. Three of the five Americans were held due to espionage-related offenses, which were regarded as “hostages” by United States officials; yet, Iran regarded them as “spies”. Iran welcomes this deal as a triumph, unlike some of their United States counterparts. Iran gloats: “America Kneels Before Iran” a headline by Keyhan. Kayhan newspaper is ultra-conservative, and its editor-in-chief is appointed by the Supreme Leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Iran and the United States are long-time antagonists and have just initiated a humanitarian agreement. Boarding the Soviet Union during the Cold War, a dominating country in oil, being anti-western, and holding hostage 54 Americans during the Iran Hostage crisis, Iran has historically been an adversary of the United States. Now acquiring a large value of money along with their 5 citizens, Iran’s confidence is evident in the paragraph above. With new confidence, Iran may be risky with other deals with the United States. The country controls much of the world’s oil, which is leverage for the United States. Iran’s oil goes to China, not the United States, and could affect imports from China to the United States. The deal may have followed an event the American people or Iranian people do not know of yet. Regardless, the Iranians accept this arrangement as a victory.
Intergovernmental Corporations (IGOs) could potentially be involved in this international diplomatic agreement. As a major oil-producing country, Iranian oil holds significant influence over the worldwide oil trade, yet the US does not utilize Iranian oil. Iranian oil has been off-limits to the United States since they withdrew from the nuclear 2015 agreement. Consequently, critical junctures or historical events between Iran and the United States facilitated the countries as long-time antagonists. An agreement between two competitors can be a sign of the countries taking a step towards de-escalating tensions. Yet, where diplomacy is being employed between two historically competing countries, caution must follow.
Works Cited
Motamedi, Maziar. “How was the Iran-US prisoner exchange received in Tehran?” Al Jazeera, 19 September 2023, https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/9/19/how-was-the-iran-us-prisoner-exchange-received-in-tehran. Accessed 20 September 2023.