OREANDA-NEWS. US federal prosecutors withdrew from two Iranian scientists - Mahbube Gaedi and Maryam Jazayeri - charges of violating Washington’s sanctions against Tehran as part of an upcoming exchange of prisoners between the parties. This was announced on Thursday by the American newspaper.

According to her, earlier, these scientists, detained in the United States in 2018, were charged with trying to smuggle illicit drugs to Iran. They were due to be tried in Atlanta, Georgia this week. It's noted that Gaedi and Jazayeri were involved in the same case as hematologist Masood Soleimani, whom the US authorities released last week in exchange for the American citizen Siyue Wen, who was imprisoned in Iran.

The latter was arrested by Iranian security forces on August 8, 2016. He was charged with transmitting confidential information to the State Department. Washington has repeatedly declared the detention of the scientist unlawful and called on the Iranian authorities to release him. The mediator in the negotiations on the exchange of prisoners between the parties was the Government of Switzerland. At the same time, the official representative of the Iranian government, Ali Rabiya, stated the need for an “all for all” exchange.