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A high profile prisoner swap between the United States and Iran is expected to be completed today, following an agreement mediated by the Gulf state of Qatar. The Americans detained in Iran's notorious Evin prison were told many times before they would soon be freed. Now it seems that will finally happen and the four men and one woman, who also hold Iranian passports, will board a plane once it is confirmed that $6bn (拢4.8bn) in Iranian funds previously held in South Korea have reached banks in Doha. Five Iranians imprisoned in US jails, mainly on charges of violating US sanctions, will also be released. Vina Nadjbulla, a senior research fellow at The Soufan Center, an independent organisation for research and policy on global security issues told Newsday this is part of President Biden's goal ''to bring unlawfully detained Americans home; there has been 25 releases in the last year and these are the latest five.'' She added that people ''should not be used like pawns, it's an appalling practise.'' Those reported to be released soon include 51-year-old Siamak Namazi; 59-year-old businessman Emad Shargi; and 67-year-old environmentalist Morad Tahbaz, who also holds British citizenship.

(Picture shows Roxanne Tahbaz and Amnesty UK CEO Sacha Deshmukh holding placards stating 'No One Left Behind' and 'Free Morad and Mehran' during a protest outside the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office in London calling on the UK Government to increase efforts to bring her father, Morad Tahbaz, home. 14th April 2022 Credit:Vuk Valcic/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)