Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson, Nasser Kanaani, demanded clarity on the United States’ associations with the Iranian-German national, Jamshid Sharmahd, who has been sentenced to death in Iran. Kanaani emphasized this call on Monday while also reporting advancements in a prisoner exchange agreement with Washington.
Kanaani’s statement followed a meeting on Friday between Abram Paley, a U.S. envoy for Iran, and Sharmahd’s family. Sharmahd, who held U.S. residency, was convicted of leading a pro-monarchist group that was allegedly responsible for a fatal bombing in 2008. His sentencing to death by an Iranian Revolutionary court in February was based on charges of “corruption on earth.”
Sharmahd’s daughter has appealed to Washington not to exclude her father from the emerging prisoner exchange deal between the United States and Iran. This arrangement would also involve the release of $6 billion in Iranian funds held in South Korea.
On August 10, Iran took the initial step of placing four detained U.S. citizens under house arrest, joining a fifth individual who was already in home confinement. This step is part of a larger agreement through which these five individuals would eventually be permitted to leave the Islamic Republic.
Kanaani highlighted the progress made in implementing this agreement and expressed gratitude for the “constructive role” played by neighboring Gulf Arab states, namely Qatar and Oman, in facilitating the negotiations.
