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Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis (62) celebrated X in the media last week. He announced on the former Twitter platform that Switzerland had mediated a prisoner exchange between the US and Iran. US President Joe Biden (80) then gave Switzerland a diplomatic pat on the back: “Thank you, thank you!”
The deal reads as follows: Iran allows five captured Americans to leave the country. In return, the US releases five Iranian nationals. And they promise that Iran will have access to $6 billion. Money that comes from Iranian oil deals – and has been blocked in South Korean accounts since 2018.
Since the US reimposed sanctions on Iran in 2018, the country has been cut off from the Swift network. This means that international payments are no longer possible for the mullah regime. This is where Switzerland comes into play.
Six billion dollars transferred through the National Bank
Our country has represented the interests of the Americans in Iran since the 1979 hostage crisis, because the two countries no longer maintain diplomatic relations. Switzerland also belongs to an illustrious circle of countries that are still allowed to make payments to Iran. The so-called Swiss Humanitarian Trade Arrangement is primarily aimed at humanitarian deliveries.
Switzerland, in its role as bridge builder, is said to have had a hand in the transfer of the released six billion dollars. According to Reuters news agency, citing South Korean media, the money was transferred to the Swiss National Bank (SNB). There it was exchanged for euros and later transferred to Qatar. Iran should eventually be able to get the money from Qatar.
The SNB does not comment on its role in releasing these funds. The State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (Seco) also does not comment. And the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs (EDA) is also silent about Switzerland’s activities under its protective power mandates.
What will the funds be used for?
For Sarah Wyss (35, MP of the SP) of Basel, this is reason enough to demand answers from the Federal Council on the role of the SNB in the transaction agreement. She submitted a corresponding interpellation during the autumn session.
Wyss wants to know why the SNB exchanges currency for the Islamic Republic, whether these funds are actually used for medical facilities or whether they do not go directly to the repressive apparatus.
The US says the released funds can only be used for medical supplies. However, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi (62) has already announced that the money will be invested in ‘domestic production’.
Human rights activists fear further repression
Saghi Gholipour (39), co-founder of Free Iran Switzerland, fears that the regime will further increase repression against the Iranian population with the new resources. The will to do so became apparent on the anniversary of the death of the young Kurdish woman Jina Mahsa Amini (†22) in mid-September, when the Revolutionary Guards were present en masse.
Gholipour continues: “All the money Iran receives goes through the Revolutionary Guards. This is at the forefront of the violent suppression of protests by Iran’s civilian population. She therefore demands that the international community isolate Iran – and not welcome the country with open arms, as recently happened at the UN General Assembly in New York. “This only legitimizes the regime,” said the human rights activist.
It would be even more disturbing if it later turned out that there was a huge expansion of repression in Iran after the payment via Switzerland.
Source:Blick
I am Liam Livingstone and I work in a news website. My main job is to write articles for the 24 Instant News. My specialty is covering politics and current affairs, which I’m passionate about. I have worked in this field for more than 5 years now and it’s been an amazing journey. With each passing day, my knowledge increases as well as my experience of the world we live in today.
