# I keep reading about a "prisoner swap" with Iran. Who were the Iranians? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 19, 2016, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-keep-reading-about-a-prisoner-swap-with-iran-who-were-the-iranians/743544 "2016-01-19T02:10:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2016, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-keep-reading-about-a-prisoner-swap-with-iran-who-were-the-iranians/743544/1 "2016-01-19T02:10:54Z")
See subject. It’s weird–if ever a question was begged, this is it. If they’re super-secret moles revealing something horrible about CIA, or whatever, I think _somebody_ must have asked and been given some answer, no matter how bland. Did I miss it? ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Kobayashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4af34b/32.png) [@Mr.Kobayashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Kobayashi)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2016, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-keep-reading-about-a-prisoner-swap-with-iran-who-were-the-iranians/743544/2 "2016-01-19T02:21:09Z")
Iran’s [state media](http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13941026001314) says that they were 7 men held on ‘sactions related charges’, and names them. [ABC](http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/iranian-prisoners-released-us-36336569) has an article that looks at each individual. ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2016, 6:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-keep-reading-about-a-prisoner-swap-with-iran-who-were-the-iranians/743544/3 "2016-01-19T06:03:07Z")
Thank you. It wasn’t in the newspaper of so called record. ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2016, 7:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-keep-reading-about-a-prisoner-swap-with-iran-who-were-the-iranians/743544/4 "2016-01-19T07:27:41Z")
> [@Leo\_Bloom](#): > > Thank you. It wasn’t in the newspaper of so called record. [Yes it was.](http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/18/world/middleeast/a-look-at-the-seven-iranians-released-by-the-us.html) ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2016, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-keep-reading-about-a-prisoner-swap-with-iran-who-were-the-iranians/743544/5 "2016-01-19T14:24:49Z")
Thank you for _that_ as well. My apologies; I could have done a bit of research. ---
**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2016, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-keep-reading-about-a-prisoner-swap-with-iran-who-were-the-iranians/743544/6 "2016-01-19T17:54:32Z")
The Iranians prisoners were spies who deserved to spend decades in jail for daring to mess with the USA. The Americans in Iran were all unjustly imprisoned freedom fighters. ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2016, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-keep-reading-about-a-prisoner-swap-with-iran-who-were-the-iranians/743544/7 "2016-01-20T02:58:47Z")
I agree. It was a “hostages” for concessions deal, not prisoners. In the end, the designated US prisoners stayed in the US. By their own preference. ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2016, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-keep-reading-about-a-prisoner-swap-with-iran-who-were-the-iranians/743544/8 "2016-01-20T03:09:24Z")
> [@Si\_Amigo](#): > > The Iranians prisoners were spies who deserved to spend decades in jail for daring to mess with the USA. The Americans in Iran were all unjustly imprisoned freedom fighters. I can’t tell if that’s satire or if you’re serious. Violating sanctions is not exactly “spying,” and some US corporations have been caught doing the same (e.g. HP exporting printers to Iran through offshore subsidiaries). Though illegally exporting military technology is arguably “spying”…