Iran, U.S. exchanging prisoners, $6B in funds unfrozen for Iran

Five prisoners sought by the U.S. in a swap with Iran flew out of Tehran on Monday, officials said, part of a deal that saw nearly $6 billion US in Iranian assets unfrozen.

Flight-tracking data analyzed by The Associated Press showed a Qatar Airways flight take off at Tehran's Mehrabad International Airport, which has been used for exchanges in the past. Iranian state media soon after said the flight had left Tehran.

U.S. President Joe Biden welcomed the news of the release in a statement, saying "five innocent Americans who were imprisoned in Iran are finally coming home."

He urged Americans not to travel to Iran, and he demanded more information on what happened to Bob Levinson, an American who went missing years ago.

Biden also announced sanctions on former Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence.

Two people, including a senior Biden administration official, said that the prisoners had left Tehran. They both spoke on condition of anonymity because the exchange was ongoing. In addition to the five freed Americans, two U.S. family members flew out, according to the Biden administration official. 

Earlier, officials said that the exchange would take place after nearly $6 billion US in once-frozen Iranian assets reached Qatar, a key element of the planned swap.