The speaker of Iran’s parliament has hinted that a prisoner swap is one possible way to free jailed American journalist Jason Rezaian, who has been tried on espionage charges in a closed Tehran court.

During an interview with NPR published on Thursday, Ali Larijani was asked if he could foresee a “practical way” to liberate both Rezaian, who is awaiting sentencing after more than a year spent in prison, and the other Americans held in Iran.

“There are practical ways of course,” Larijani said. “For example, there is a number of Iranians in prison here. Definitely for matters of this sort, one can come up with solutions. I think your politicians know about those ways.”

Pressed on whether he was suggesting a prisoner swap, Larijani replied: “That’s one way. There are other ways that the judiciary systems of the two countries can come up with. It is the judiciary that has to decide about it.”

Though the Iranian politician does not have direct authority over Rezaian, his brother, Ayatollah Sadeq Amoli Larijani, is the head of Iran’s judiciary system.

Larijani suggestion’s that Iran may be open to a prisoner swap came in sharp contrast to recent comments made by Iran’s deputy foreign minister Hassan Qashqavi, who suggested that no such plan was under consideration.

According to the Associated Press, Qashqavi told Iran’s Tasnim and Fars news agencies: “An exchange of Jason Rezaian is not on the agenda. Each of the issues has their own separate case.” Qashqavi’s comments were first time a high-level official has alluded to the possibility of such a trade, the AP reported.

US officials have said they raise the issue of the detained Americans on each occasion they meet with their Iranian counterparts.



Rezaian’s closed-door trial, which began in May, played out during a crucial moment in the ongoing nuclear negotiations between Iran and the west. His lawyer was recently quoted in early August as saying a verdict was expected imminently though relatives of his are still waiting for it to be issued.

Rezaian has been held in Iran since July 2014, when he was arrested along with his wife, Yeganeh Salehi, and another couple. Rezaian is the only one who remains in prison. The couple were released shortly after their arrest, and Salehi, also a journalist, was released on bail in October and faces a separate trial.

Some have suggested Rezian’s captivity was tied to political tensions around the nuclear negotiations, though US officials have said they deliberately kept the negotiations separate from the release of the American prisoners, in case the talks faltered. Others have speculated that Rezaian was caught in the crossfire of political infighting among competing factions within the government.

Two other Americans are being held by Iran, Amir Hekmati, a US marine veteran who just marked four years in captivity, and Saeed Abedini, a Christian pastor whose been held since 2012. Robert Levinson, another American, disappeared in Iran while on CIA mission eight years ago.