A Chinese-American researcher convicted of spying in Iran has been freed in an exchange for the release of an Iranian scientist held by the United States.
Xiyue Wang was arrested in Iran in 2016 for “collaborating with foreign governments.”
Massoud Soleimani, a stem cell expert, was arrested at a Chicago airport last year. He was accused of violating trade sanctions by trying to export biological material to Iran.
Both denied the charges.
The exchange is a rare sign of co-operation between the two countries, which have had an increasingly strained relationship in recent years and share no diplomatic links.
The US and Iran have thanked the Swiss government for its assistance as an intermediary facilitator.
Mr. Wang was flown in a Swiss government plane from Tehran to Zurich, and then to Ramstein Air Base in Germany, where he will undergo medical check-ups before heading home.
Mr. Soleimani was also flown to Zurich and he is expected to fly on to Tehran.
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif tweeted to announce the exchange. “Glad that Prof. Massoud Soleimani and Mr. Xiyue Wang will be joining their families shortly,” he wrote.
In a statement, US President Donald Trump said Mr. Wang had been “held under the pretence of espionage.”
“Freeing Americans held captive is of vital importance to my administration, and we will continue to work hard to bring home all our citizens wrongfully held captive overseas,” the statement said. (BBC)
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