‘Ball in US court’, Iran cuts back arrogance, to subject to Trump deals

As Tehran discovered that
tones of intransigence would not work with US President Donald Trump, the
mullahs' officials began to calm their rhetoric towards issues that bind them
to the United States, especially the issue of prisoner exchange between the two
countries. Now, Tehran said it is ready to exchange all detainees with the
United States of America.
Iran's Foreign Minister
Mohammad Javad Zarif says Tehran is “fully ready” to exchange more prisoners
with the US after the latter freed Iranian stem cell scientist Masoud
Soleimani, who arrived in Tehran after over one year of imprisonment in the
United States.
"After getting our
hostage back this week, fully ready for comprehensive prisoner exchange,” Zarif
said in a Monday tweet in clear reference to Soleimani’s exchange with Xiyue
Wang — a Chinese-born US citizen who had been sentenced to 10 years in prison
for espionage in Iran in 2017.
After declaring Iran's
readiness to exchange more prisoners with the US, Zarif noted that the issue
depended on the will of the American side, adding, “The ball is in the US’
court.”
“The president has had
unparalleled success in bringing Americans home without paying concessions,
without prisoner exchanges, but through force of will and the goodwill that
he’s generated around the world,” U.S. National Security Adviser, Robert C.
O’Brien, has said.
On the other hand, reports
said the Obama administration paid Iran nearly $2 billion in a 'ransom payment'
to release U.S. prisoners after at least two years of secret talks between
Washington and Tehran.
Tehran’s response to
Washington’s demands comes as a result of the US sanctions that severely
affected the Iranian economy. Iran expected to use this issue as a pressure
card on the current American administration, as it did with the previous
administration, but it failed to do so.
Journalist Osama al-Hitaimi,
an expert on Iranian affairs, told The Reference in an interview that the
hostages situation is proof that Iran is an immoral state that does not
hesitate to arrest people to use as pressure cards against their countries.
Iran finds arresting
foreigners an opportunity that cannot be missed, especially those who hold
American citizenship, because it understands that the American street is
pressuring strongly on any ruling administration in Washington to release the
sons of America in any spot, which is what Iran has been trying to take
advantage of.
He also indicated that the
Iranian celebration of this deal bears very important political significance;
as the deal exposed the state of contradiction of the Iranian position, as
successive statements by the leaders of the regime refused dialogue with the
United States.