Iran-US prisoner swap likely set in motion as $6 billion of once-frozen Iranian assets reaches Qatar

Some $6 billion of Iranian assets once frozen in South Korea is now in Qatar, a key element for a planned prisoner swap between Tehran and the United States. That's according to Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani, who made the comment during a news conference on Monday aired on state television. However, the feed cut immediately after his remarks without explanation. The announcement comes weeks after Iran said that five Iranian-Americans are now under house arrest as part of a confidence-building move while Seoul allowed the frozen assets, held in South Korean won, to be converted into euros. That money was then sent to Qatar, an interlocutor between Tehran and Washington in the negotiations.