Via The Hill:
Iran will consider releasing a handful of American prisoners in exchange for the release of Iranians held in the U.S., Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on CNN on Sunday, ahead of a gathering of world leaders at the United Nations this week.
“If the Americans take the appropriate steps and set them free, certainly the right environment will be open and the right circumstances will be created for us to do everything within our power and our purview to bring about the swiftest freedom for the Americans held in Iran as well,” Rouhani told the news channel.
“There are a number of Iranians in the United States who are imprisoned, who went to prison as a result of activities related to the nuclear industry in Iran,” he added. “Once these sanctions have been lifted, why keep those folks in American prisons?
“So they must be free.”