US agrees $6bn deal with Iran for release of five Americans

The United States has reached a $6bn agreement with Iran for five American detainees to be released from prison, say reports. The Iranian Americans, Siamak Namazi, Emad Sharghi and Morad Tahbaz, as well as two unnamed prisoners, had all been held on charges of spying in the notorious Evin prison and have now been placed under house arrest in a Tehran hotel, reported The New York Times. The US government will unfreeze $6bn in oil assets and a number of Iranian prisoners will also be freed as part of the deal, according to the newspaper. The group will be held at the hotel for several weeks before being allowed to board a plane and leave the country, stated Jared Genser, the lawyer for Mr Namazi.