Fars News Agency urges Islamic Republic officials not to trade Murad Tahbaz cheaply

This media outlet affiliated with the Revolutionary Guard Corps, in a note repeating the claim of the Islamic Republic authorities that the environmental activist was being spied on, writes: "Tahbaz is a valuable pawn, and his exchange for $7 billion, Iran's money blocked in South Korea, is to the detriment of the Islamic Republic."

Referring to the tweet of the Central Bank's public relations director regarding the agreement between Iran and South Korea to release 7 billion of Iranian resources, the news agency writes: "Evidence shows that the government intends to take these dollars and release Morad Tahbaz and possibly Bagher and Siamak Namazi, which is not a cost-effective amount in exchange for this exchange."

Morad Tahbaz, who is a citizen of Iran, Britain, and the United States, has been imprisoned since 2017 for spying for the United States and Britain and was sentenced to ten years in prison. This environmental activist was supposed to be released from prison and returned to the United Kingdom last March, along with Nazanin Zaghari and Anousheh Ashouri, but Iranian authorities refused to release him at the last moment.

Roxanne, the daughter of Murad Tahbaz, will also be protesting in front of the British Foreign Office starting tomorrow, April 13, and will ask the British Foreign Secretary to facilitate her father's release as soon as possible.
Mohsen Rezaei, who is now Ebrahim Raisi's deputy economic minister, had previously said that we can generate income for the country by taking hostages from the West and receiving money in exchange for the hostages' release.

Source: Voice of America