The US and Iran have opened a new front in their bitter relationship, this time over illegal aliens.
Acting Deputy Secretary of the US Homeland Security Department Ken Cuccinelli, in a Twitter post, said, “We have 11 of your citizens who are illegal aliens who we have been trying to return to your country. You suddenly SAY you want them back, so how about you send a charter plane over and we’ll return all 11 at once?”
Washington also accused the Islamic Republic of stalling the repatriation process.
“Since Sep2018, @JZarif has put 'universal prisoners swap' on the table, urged US act responsibly abt the Iranian HOSTAGES in & elsewhere. Your regime has reacted callously & risked their livesLet our citizens go!” Abbas Mousavi, a spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, tweeted.
Tehran on Sunday had said it was ready to exchange prisoners with the US without any preconditions, NBC reported. “We have announced that without any preconditions, we are ready for a full prisoner swap and ready for talks on this matter,” government spokesman Ali Rabiei said.
According to Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, Iran had been ready for some time and that a delayed response from the US stalled the process. As the coronavirus outbreak in the US started to grow, the Iranian government grew concerned about the Iranians in US prisons.
Iran holds the US responsible for the health of the Iranian prisoners and hopes that it will put people over politics, Rabiei said. He also added that there was no need for a swap between the governments and Iran will provide more details and proposed timing to Washington.
Washington, in the meantime, has been negotiating for the release of Michael White, a US Navy veteran who has been detained in Iran since 2018. White is currently in Swiss custody and on medical furlough, but remains in Iran. He was released from prison in mid-March.
US officials haven’t revealed who might be exchanged for White. But sources have denied that they were willing to let Sirous Asgari, an Iranian science professor, to return to Iran. Asgari was acquitted in November of stealing trade secrets from the US but was still under US custody.
