Suggestion to swap prisoners with US not new: Mousavi

Tehran, April 25, IRNA – Spokesman of Foreign Ministry Abbas Mousavi said on Thursday that Iran has suggested to swap prisoners with US long time ago and is ready to translate it to practice. 'The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is ready to do its duties for exchange of US convicts passing prison terms with the Iranians that are in US prisons charged with the illegal accusation of violation of sanctions, ' said Mousavi. Mousavi said that a restraining order should be issued for those Iranians who are languishing in prisons of another country based on the phony charge of violation of US sanctions. He added that US authorities' impulsive reaction calling on Iran to release all the American prisoners in Iran shows that they have no understating of negotiations, agreement and exchange of prisoners, which proves that they have not been honest in their claims in the past few months whatsoever. 'If there is a will in the US administration, Iranian foreign minister's suggestion is quite clear and needs no interpretations.' Foreign Minister Mohammad-Javad Zarif said that there are some Iranians imprisoned in the US and Europe accused of violating the sanctions. They were accused of sending passenger plane parts not jet fighters parts. Zarif added that there is an Iranian translator who gave birth to a child in an Australia prison. “Now we hear about Nazanin Zaghari and her child, and I feel sorry for them and I’ve done my best to help,” Zarif said. “But nobody talks about this lady in Australia who gave birth to a child in prison, whose child is growing up outside prison with his mother in prison.” “And I put this offer on the table publicly now: Let's exchange them,” Zarif said. “Let’s discuss them. Let’s have an exchange. I’m ready to do it, and I have authority to do it.” Follow us on Twitter @IrnaEnglish