Four Americans held on spurious charges in Iran have been moved from a prison to a halfway house in apparent preparation for a prison swap with the United States, CNN reports. Siamak Namazi, Emad Sharghi, Morad Tahbaz, and a fourth unnamed person were moved from Tehran’s notorious Evin Prison to a local hotel, a move the government has made to other foreign prisoners set for exchange.
Using Qatar and Oman as intermediaries, the Biden Administration has been working for years to free the prisoners. Namazi has been held since 2015; Shargi, a businessman, and Tahbaz, an environmentalist, were detained in 2018. It’s unclear what and/or who will be exchanged for the four people, but in previous arrangements, the US has released incarcerated individuals as well as released Iranian assets frozen in the United States.