24 died; 35 injured after a bus plunges into a 200-meter-deep ravine in Peru
24 died; 35 injured after a bus plunges into a 200-meter-deep ravine in Peru;
5 Iranian Americas, walk free on a prisoner for frozen funds deal
5 Iranian Americas, walk free on a prisoner for frozen funds deal
Transcript
00:00 Good day, I'm William Thio and this is PTV News Now.
00:16 At least 24 people were declared dead and 35 injured after a bus careened off the Andes
00:22 mountains in Peru.
00:24 The bus fell into a 200-meter deep ravine while traveling.
00:28 Last month, 13 people died while five sustained major injuries in a similar road accident
00:34 in the same region.
00:35 Official figures suggest more than 3,300 people died in traffic accidents in the Andean country
00:42 in 2022 due to poor road conditions, speeding, lack of signage and poor enforcement of traffic
00:49 rules.
00:52 After months of negotiations, five Iranian Americans detained by Iran for years were
00:57 released in exchange for $6 billion in frozen Iranian funds held in South Korea, transferred
01:04 to Doha banks in Qatar for a strictly monitored disbursement to Iran.
01:09 But Tehran is defiant about how it plans to use the money and Republican critics say the
01:15 deal amounts to paying a ransom to an increasingly authoritarian regime.
01:20 VOA's Anita Powell reports from Washington.
01:25 Free at last, five Iranian Americans held for years in Iran's brutal Evin prison and
01:31 who President Joe Biden says are innocent of espionage-related charges.
01:36 His administration welcomed the news.
01:39 Today, their freedom, the freedom of these Americans for so long unjustly imprisoned
01:45 and detained in Iran means some pretty basic things.
01:49 It means that husbands and wives, fathers and children, grandparents can hug each other
01:59 again, can see each other again, can be with each other again.
02:04 They arrived in Doha, Qatar on Monday in exchange for the U.S. freeing up $6 billion of Iranian
02:11 oil proceeds that it had frozen in a South Korean bank through sanctions.
02:16 Tehran's critics say the regime may use that cash to continue its oppression and further
02:20 its nuclear ambitions.
02:22 This week, protesters around the world marched to mark the first anniversary of the death
02:26 of Masa Amini, a Kurdish Iranian woman who died while in police custody after allegedly
02:32 violating an Iranian law requiring girls and women to wear a headscarf.
02:37 The White House stresses that the money comes with tough restrictions.
02:40 These funds will now be subject to more legal restrictions than they were when they were
02:45 in Korea.
02:46 If Iran tries to divert the funds, we'll take action and we'll lock them up again.
02:52 I also want to be clear.
02:55 This is not a payment of any kind.
02:57 It's not ransom.
02:58 These aren't U.S. taxpayer dollars.
03:00 And we haven't lifted a single one of our sanctions on Iran.
03:05 And Iran's president says his government will spend the money wherever we need it.
03:10 Analysts say this deal is about much more than releasing prisoners and frozen assets.
03:15 And it happens right as world leaders, including Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, joined Biden
03:20 in New York for the United Nations General Assembly.
03:23 It's also part of an agreement that is meant to make some sort of diplomatic progress toward
03:28 containing the Iranian nuclear program and accelerating a broader de-escalation between
03:33 Iran and the United States throughout the Middle East.
03:36 In a statement, Biden said he would continue to impose costs on Iran for their provocative
03:41 actions in the region.
03:44 And the White House said separately, on Monday morning, he held an emotional call with the
03:49 hostages' families.
03:50 Anita Powell, VOA News, Washington.
03:54 This is William Thio.
03:56 Stay informed.
03:57 Be aware.
03:58 Get ahead.
03:59 Be a fuse.
04:00 Get the news right here.
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