Prisoner Swap

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian claims he has reached a “good understanding” with Qatar for access to the $6 billion windfall of cash paid by President Joe Biden after a prisoner exchange deal with the United States in September 2023.

Ksenia Karelina, a dual citizen of the U.S. and Russia, pleaded guitly to “treason” after being left out of a prisoner swap deal.

On Monday’s broadcast of CNN’s “The Lead,” Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs Roger Carstens stated that it’s tough to know what Russian assassin Vadim Krasikov will do now that he’s been released as a result of the prisoner swap between the

On Friday’s broadcast of MSNBC’s “Katy Tur Reports,” Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD) stated that “We know Russia wouldn’t hesitate to take more Americans as hostages in an effort to make additional trades.” But “President Biden

Vice President Kamala Harris delivered one of her infamous word salads when speaking unscripted about Thursday’s prisoner swap with Russia. 

On Thursday’s broadcast of CNN’s “Situation Room,” U.S. Amb. to Turkey Jeff Flake stated that Vladimir Putin “wanted” the prisoner swap the U.S. made with Russia, “But I think we wanted it more, and it’s a good deal for all

On Thursday’s broadcast of CNN’s “Situation Room,” White House Deputy National Security Adviser Jon Finer responded to a question on how the Biden administration plans to prevent Americans from being wrongfully detained in the future by stating that we warn people

A Russian court on Friday sentenced Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich to 16 years in a high-security penal colony.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday that American officials have been in contact behind the scenes to work out a prisoner swap deal that might free Evan Gershkovich, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reporter indicted for espionage on Thursday after being held captive by Russia for over a year.

Iran and Sweden carried out a prisoner swap Saturday that saw Tehran release a EU diplomat and another man for an Irainian war criminal.

Wall Street Journal reporter and American citizen Evan Gershkovich marked one year in captivity as a hostage of Russia on March 29.

On Wednesday’s “PBS NewsHour,” Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs Roger Carstens responded to a question on whether deals brokered by the Biden administration will incentivize countries to take more hostages by stating that “I might say that my case numbers

During an interview with the Fox News Channel aired on Friday’s broadcast of “The Story,” White House National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby stated that the U.S. is “watching” the $6 billion in Iranian assets unfrozen by

During a portion of an interview with NBC News set to air on Thursday’s broadcast of “NBC Nightly News,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken reacted to reports that the U.S. and Qatar reached a deal to stop the distribution of

On Wednesday’s broadcast of the Fox Business Network’s “Claman Countdown,” House Budget Committee Ranking Member Rep. Brendan Boyle (D-PA) stated that he is “very open to” re-freezing the $6 billion in Iranian assets unfrozen under a prisoner swap brokered by

On Wednesday’s broadcast of “CNN News Central,” Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-FL) stated that even though none of the $6 billion in Iranian assets that were unfrozen under a prisoner swap has moved yet, it should be frozen no matter what

On Monday’s broadcast of CNN’s “Early Start,” Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE) responded to a question on whether Iran helped facilitate the Hamas attacks on Israel because it knew it would receive $6 billion in assets that were unfrozen under a

On Wednesday’s broadcast of “CBS Mornings,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken responded to concerns that the money given to Iran by the prisoner swap will free up other funds to be spent on malign activity, such as supporting Russia’s war

On Monday’s broadcast of “CNN News Central,” White House National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby stated that the details of how two of the five Iranians who are being granted clemency under the prisoner swap with Iran

On Monday’s broadcast of “CNN News Central,” White House National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby responded to a question on whether the Iranian prisoner swap will make Iran more likely to take Americans hostage by stating that

The United States and Iran exchanged prisoners on Monday, largely completing a deal that also included President Joe Biden unfreezing $6 billion in Iranian assets that have been held in South Korean banks since former President Donald Trump withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal in 2018.

On Tuesday’s broadcast of the Fox News Channel’s “The Story,” White House National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby responded to concerns that the payment to Iran as part of its prisoner swap with the United States will

On Tuesday’s broadcast of MSNBC’s “Andrea Mitchell Reports,” White House National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby maintained that the U.S. isn’t paying Iran a ransom in the prisoner swap with the country, it’s just allowing Iran access

On Tuesday’s broadcast of MSNBC’s “Andrea Mitchell Reports,” NBC News National Security and Global Affairs Reporter Dan De Luce pointed out that even if Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi is wrong when he claims that the country can use the money

On Tuesday’s broadcast of MSNBC’s “Andrea Mitchell Reports,” White House National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby reacted to Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi’s vow that Iran will spend the $6 billion it will gain access to from a

During an interview aired on Tuesday’s broadcast of “NBC Nightly News,” Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi stated that the money that will be unfrozen under Iran’s prisoner swap with the United States “belongs to the Islamic Republic of Iran, and naturally, we

According to Iranian state media, President Joe Biden’s lopsided hostage deal with Tehran includes both a $6 billion ransom payment and releasing five Iranians jailed in the United States for sanctions violations, in exchange for five American hostages to be released by Iran. The Biden White House has said very little on the record about the deal, but Voice of America News (VOA) on Thursday put together a list of 11 Iranians who might be released as part of the deal.

Dallas Cowboys superstar Micah Parsons ripped the Biden Administration for not securing the release of long-imprisoned former Marine Paul Whelan in its prisoner swap with Russia for WNBA star Brittney Griner, but he quickly backtracked his comments.

The Taliban released a set of triumphant propaganda photos Wednesday showing fighters in Afghanistan released from prisons under the U.S.-brokered peace deal with Kabul.

Afghanistan’s President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani on Wednesday signed a decree to release 1,500 Taliban prisoners beginning on March 14, a step the Taliban insists is necessary before talks between the Islamist insurgents and the Afghan government can continue.

The prospects for the peace deal brokered between the United States and the Taliban looked grim less than 24 hours after it was announced, as Afghan President Ashraf Ghani balked at releasing 5,000 Taliban prisoners as specified in the agreement, and the Taliban responded by announcing it would resume “operations” against the Afghan government. 

Iran indicated Monday it wants to swap more prisoners with the United States following the release of Iranian scientist Masoud Soleimani, traded for Chinese-American scholar Xiyue Wang, a graduate student at Princeton.

The Taliban released two Western professors, an American and an Australian, on Tuesday after more than three years in captivity. In exchange, the Afghan government released three Taliban jihadists and flew them to Qatar.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif made an offer Wednesday for a prisoner exchange with the United States, without specifying which prisoners the Islamic Republic wants.

A new report from the Wall Street Journal found that the Trump administration secretly reached out to the Iranian regime in December and proposed creating a direct channel with them to negotiate for the release of U.S. and Iranian nationals being held by both countries in what would be a potential prisoner swap.

Hamas has accepted an Egyptian proposal for a prisoner swap with Israel and is awaiting Jerusalem’s response to the offer, the terror group’s leader in the Gaza Strip, Yahya Sinwar, said Thursday night, according to Channel 2 news.