Americans freed from Iran

BBC LIVE Summary

Five American citizens jailed for years in Iran are flying back to the US as part of a prisoner swap mediated by Qatar

The four men and one woman, who also hold Iranian passports, have landed in Qatar, after leaving the Iranian capital Tehran

Their release was dependent on the transfer of $6bn (£4.8bn) in Iranian funds, earned from selling oil to South Korea, to banks in Doha

Five Iranians imprisoned in the US are also supposed to be freed as part of the swap: two have landed in Doha, Iran's Press TV says

US President Joe Biden has long been urged to bring home Americans widely seen as hostages used by Iran as bargaining chips

But leading US Republicans and Iranian activists have condemned the swap, saying it will only encourage more hostage taking

/MHK/