US Accuses Iran Of 'Unspeakable Cruelty' For False Reports On Foreigners' Release

Iran leaking false information on the the release of foreign detainees was a cruel move intended to mount pressure on Washington, a senior US State Department official told reporters on Thursday

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 06th May, 2021) Iran leaking false information on the the release of foreign detainees was a cruel move intended to mount pressure on Washington, a senior US State Department official told reporters on Thursday.

Last Sunday, reports of a deal allegedly struck between Iran and Western countries on the repatriation of foreigners including at least five Americans made headlines across the world before being refuted by the United States which vows to continue efforts to bring its citizens home.

"One can only imagine the suffering that the families of the detained had to endure when they thought for a moment that their loved ones are going to be brought back home.

That's unspeakable cruelty," the official said.

The US is determined to do everything it can to bring them home, the official added.

"But we would really hope that Iran would not subject the detainees and their families to what they had to endure last Sunday when for a brief moment they read the news that their loved ones were coming home because a deal has been struck," the official said.

The official accused Iran of using detainees "as pawns to try to extract concessions from the United States or from other countries." He reiterated that there is still no agreement, but the US is actively seeking one independently of the Vienna talks on the reinstatement of the nuclear deal with Iran.