Iran ready for full prisoner swap, ‘ball is in the US’ court’: Zarif

Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Monday Iran is ready for a full prisoner exchange with the United States, tweeting: “The ball is in the US’ court.”

“After getting our hostage back this week, fully ready for comprehensive prisoner exchange,” Zarif said.

The United States and Iran on Saturday swapped prisoners - an American detained for three years on spying charges and an imprisoned Iranian researcher - in a rare act of cooperation between two longtime foes.

President Donald Trump thanked Tehran for a “very fair” negotiation that led to the release on Saturday of the America scholar held in Iran.

Separately, Iranian government spokesman Ali Rabiei said Iran had always sought an “all for all release” with the United States.

“We are ready to cooperate to return all Iranians who are being held unjustly in America,” Rabiei was quoted by the state news agency IRNA as saying on Monday.

Rabiei said efforts to swap prisoners were not linked to any other US-Iranian talks, which would only be possible if Washington lifted sanctions and returned to Tehran’s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers.

Tensions have heightened between Iran and the United States since US President Donald Trump last year pulled Washington out of the nuclear deal and re-imposed sanctions that have crippled Tehran’s economy. Iran has responded by gradually scaling back its commitments under the agreement.

Washington has demanded that Iran release the Americans it is holding, including father and son Siamak and Baquer Namazi; Michael R. White, a Navy veteran imprisoned last year; and Robert Levinson, a former FBI agent missing since 2007.

Several dozen Iranians are being held in US prisons, many of them for breaking sanctions.