欧美文化:Iran, U.S. swap prisoners under Doha-brokered deal

TEHRAN/DOHA, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- Iran and the United States on Monday conducted a much-anticipated prisoner swap, each releasing five detainees, Iranian and Qatari media reported.

Two released Iranians arrived in the Qatari capital Doha on Monday while three others were released in the United States under the deal brokered by Doha, the Mizan news agency of Iran's judiciary reported.

Iran's Foreign Ministry Spokesman Nassar Kanaani said earlier Monday that two released Iranians would return to Iran after their releases, one would travel to a third country where his family is living, and two others would remain in the United States, where they had been living before their imprisonment.

Meanwhile, five American citizens who had been detained in Iran landed in Qatar as part of the prisoner swap deal, Qatar-based Al Jazeera network reported.

Speaking to the Qatar News Agency (QNA) on Monday, Qatari Minister of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Mohammed bin Abdulaziz bin Saleh Al Khulaifi said "Qatar will commence the activation of the humanitarian financial channel."

Also on Monday, Governor of the Central Bank of Iran Mohammad Reza Farzin said the Iranian assets previously frozen in South Korean banks, amounting to around 5.94 billion U.S. dollars, have been transferred to six Iranian accounts in two Qatari banks under the swap deal.