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Politics
Klaus W. Larres, Professor of History and International Affairs, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Ransom or realism? A closer look at Biden’s prisoner swap deal with Iran

Family members of American citizens detained overseas participate in a Bring Back our Families rally on May 3, 2023, in Washington. Anna Moneymaker/via Getty Images

The Biden administration’s agreement with Iran for a swap of prisoners could be seen as a simple business transaction to free five Iranians from imprisonment in the U.S. and five Americans, some with dual citizenship, from detention in Iran.

But the agreement has broader implications for U.S.-Iranian relations, the future of Iran’s nuclear program and for the tense relationship between Iran and Israel, which is largely defined by the status of Iran’s nuclear capabilities.

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