Dec 9, 2019, 9:01 PM

Zarif expresses Iran's readiness for comprehensive prisoner swap with US

TEHRAN, Dec. 09 (MNA) – Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has tweeted that Iran is ready for a full prisoner exchange with the United States, adding that “the ball is in the US’ court.”

"After getting our hostage back this week, fully ready for a comprehensive prisoner exchange. The ball is in the US’ court," the top Iranian diplomat said in a tweet on Monday while in Istanbul to attend the 8th Ministerial Conference of Heart of Asia - Istanbul Process which was held today under the theme of “Peace, Partnership, Prosperity.”

On Saturday, the US freed Masoud Soleimani, a distinguished professor at Tarbiat Modares University in Tehran, who was detained by the FBI on 7 October 2018, in exchange for a Chinese- American Ph.D. student, who was imprisoned in Iran for almost three years on spying charges. The American citizen had been sentenced for 7 years in jail in the Iranian court, while the Iranian professor was awaiting trial since last year.

Zarif accompanied Masoud Soleimani while on board to Iran and their plane landed at Tehran Mehrabad airport on Saturday evening.