A prisoner exchange involving Elizabeth Tsurkov, an Israeli-Russian academic kidnapped in Baghdad in 2023, is expected to be finalized within days, multiple Iraqi and regional sources have said, amid quiet negotiations between Washington, Baghdad, and groups aligned with Tehran.
An Iraqi interior ministry security source confirmed to Iran International that Tsurkov’s release will come in exchange for “several Iranian prisoners,” some of whom are convicted in Iraq of security-related offenses, including kidnapping and murder.
Tsurkov, a PhD student at Princeton University and fellow at the New Lines Institute, disappeared in March 2023 while conducting research in Iraq.
Israeli officials believe she is being held by Kata’ib Hezbollah, an Iran-backed Shi’ite militia. While the group has denied involvement, an Iraqi official told Israel’s Channel 11 that she was first detained by Iraq’s intelligence service—or by individuals impersonating officers—before being transferred to the militia.
Earlier on Saturday, Iraq’s Al Rabaa TV, which is aligned with Iranian-backed groups, reported that Tsurkov would be released in a deal involving one Iranian and six other individuals detained over attacks on US interests in Iraq.
Saudi-owned Al Hadath and other regional outlets said the agreement came after a senior Iraqi security official visited Washington, and that Tsurkov may first be sent to a neutral country before returning to Israel.
Who is the Iranian involved?
While no official comment has been made by Tehran, an Iraqi security source told Iran International that among those considered for the exchange is Mohammadreza Nouri, a member of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Quds Force.
Nouri was sentenced to life imprisonment in Iraq in September 2023 for orchestrating the murder of American citizen Stephen Troell in Baghdad in November 2022.
Troell, a Tennessee native and English teacher, was shot while driving through Baghdad’s Karrada district. According to US and Iraqi officials, Nouri, along with members of the Iran-aligned Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba, attempted to kidnap Troell for ransom.
A militant group called Ashab al-Kahf later claimed responsibility, citing retaliation for the 2020 US drone strike that killed IRGC commander Qassem Soleimani and Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) leader Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis.
Iran’s judiciary official Kazem Gharibabadi has denied the charges against Nouri, calling him a "defender of the shrine"—a title Iran uses for personnel active in Syria.
Gharibabadi acknowledged that the US had requested Nouri’s extradition, but said Baghdad rejected the request. Although Iraq and Iran have an extradition treaty, Iraq did not transfer Nouri to Iran either.
Israeli officials had confirmed diplomatic efforts to secure Tsurkov’s release, with support from the United States and other allies. “We continue to seek her release through multiple channels,” an Israeli official told Ynet.
Tsurkov’s sister, Emma, said the family had no details about the reported deal but remained hopeful.
Meanwhile, a source close to Iraqi Shi'ite factions told Israel’s Kan public broadcaster that Kata’ib Hezbollah had not yet given final approval for Tsurkov’s release.
If done, this would mean a complex negotiation involving the Iraqi government, Iran-aligned militias, and indirect coordination with Israel and the US.
Speaking at the US-GCC summit in Riyadh, Trump said, “I want to make a deal with Iran. But for that to happen, it must stop sponsoring terror, halt its bloody proxy wars and permanently and verifiably cease its pursuit of nuclear weapons.”
Iran maintains its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes.
Last month, the head of the UN's nuclear watchdog, Rafael Grossi, said: “Iran is not far from having a nuclear problem. They don’t have it, we know it, but the material for it is already there. To make a few warheads.”
Trump accused his predecessor, President Joe Biden, of emboldening Iran and undermining US allies in the Persian Gulf. “Everyone at this table knows where my loyalties are,” he said. “Those days are over.”
The summit in Riyadh took place during the first leg of Trump’s tour of the Persian Gulf as the US seeks to revitalize ties with regional allies and broker new economic and security partnerships. Trump traveled to Doha on Wednesday.
During the visit in Riyadh, Trump also announced a $600-billion investment agreement with Saudi Arabia, covering sectors from energy and defense to mining and technology.
On Tuesday, Trump, speaking before Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and other top Saudi and US officials, delivered a wide-ranging speech criticizing Iran while expressing willingness to strike a new nuclear deal.
Framing Tehran as the main obstacle to regional peace, Trump said, “The biggest and most destructive of these forces is the regime in Iran,” blaming it for destabilizing Syria, Lebanon, Gaza, Iraq, and Yemen.
He contrasted Iran’s decline with the Persian Gulf’s growth, noting that while “you have been constructing the world’s tallest skyscrapers,” Iran’s infrastructure is “collapsing into rubble.”
“If Iran’s leadership rejects this olive branch,” he warned, the US would impose massive maximum pressure to stop it from acquiring a nuclear weapon.
Iranian officials swiftly pushed back. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, speaking on the sidelines of a cabinet meeting in Tehran on Wednesday, dismissed Trump’s remarks as provocative and misleading.
“Trump tries to portray Iran as the source of insecurity. But who killed 60,000 people in Gaza? Are we the ones spreading chaos?” Araghchi asked, in comments aired by state television, referring to US support of Israel in its war on Iran-backed Hamas in Gaza.
He rejected Trump’s threat of renewed pressure, saying, “The policy of maximum pressure has already failed.”
Araghchi added that Iran remains committed to dialogue and is awaiting further coordination by Oman, which has been mediating backchannel talks between Tehran and Washington.
“It is America that, through its sanctions over the past forty-some years, along with its pressures and its military and non-military threats, has hindered the progress of the Iranian nation; the one responsible for the economic problems is America,” he said.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei also denied that nuclear negotiations were at an impasse.
“The fact that both Iran and the US want the talks to continue means the negotiation process is still ongoing,” he said.
He said details about the next round of talks will be announced by Oman soon.
President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Tuesday evening, “If we stand together, America will be powerless against us.”
In a surprise move during his stay in Riyadh, Trump also announced the lifting of US sanctions on Syria, following a landmark meeting with Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa—the first such encounter between leaders of the two nations in over two decades.
“We’re taking them all off. Good luck Syria, show us something very special,” Trump said at a US-Saudi investment forum.
The US leader also touted a recent ceasefire with Yemen’s Houthi rebels, a key Iran ally, and a diplomatic breakthrough in South Asia, where American mediation reportedly helped de-escalate tensions between nuclear-armed India and Pakistan.
As the summit convened on Wednesday, Saudi Foreign minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud said Riyadh fully supports the US-Iran nuclear talks and hopes for positive results.
"Regarding the nuclear file, there is full support for the ongoing talks between the United States and Iran. We hope that these talks will lead to a positive outcome that ensures the stability of the region."
Oman’s Deputy Prime Minister for International Affairs, Al Sayyid Asaad Tariq Taimur Al Said, also expressed optimism that a nuclear deal with Iran could still be reached.
Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa echoed that sentiment, saying continued dialogue would “bolster stability and improve prosperity across the region.”
Whether Oman’s mediation can bridge the divide remains to be seen.
