Tehran – In an attempt to gain custody of former marine in prison in Iran, Iran’s semiofficial ISNA news agency is saying the United States has proposed an exchange of Iranian prisoners in the U.S. for him.
The Tuesday report quotes Mahmoud Alizadeh Tabatabaei, the lawyer for Amir Hekmati, as saying Washington’s proposal was delivered to the Iranian government via the Swiss embassy — which represents Washington’s interests in Iran.
Hekmati, a dual U.S.-Iranian citizen born in Arizona, was arrested in August 2011 and sentenced to death for spying. Earlier this year, authorities overturned his death sentence and reduced his sentence to 10 years in prison.
Tabatabaei did not reveal further details, but said he hopes Iran will accept the offer.