Efforts Underway to Free Mohammadreza Nouri in Exchange for Israeli Detainee

WANA (May 25) – Media reports have revealed that negotiations are underway to secure the release of Mohammadreza Nouri, a member of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), who was captured by U.S. forces in Iraq two years ago on disputed charges.

Nouri, along with several Iraqi citizens accused of involvement in the killing of U.S. national Stephen Edward Troell, may be exchanged for Elizabeth Tsurkov, an Israeli detainee.

According to reports, Iraq and the United States are engaged in talks over a potential prisoner swap: the Israeli national Elizabeth Tsurkov in exchange for an Iranian prisoner in Iraq and six other detainees accused of attacks on U.S. interests. The process of their release in exchange for Tsurkov is said to be advancing and may take less than ten days.

Elizabeth Tsurkov, an Israeli citizen of Russian origin, was pursuing her Ph.D. at Princeton University in the U.S. She was affiliated with the New Lines Institute in Washington and contributed to its publications. She was kidnapped in Baghdad on March 26, 2023, during one of her repeated visits to Iraq.

Iraqi sources report that significant efforts are underway by Israel to secure her release. These efforts have reportedly intensified following a secret visit by an Iraqi security official to Washington, and Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ Al Sudani has since been personally involved.

The Israeli outlet Yedioth Ahronoth claimed that Iraqi and diplomatic officials have not ruled out the possibility that Tsurkov may have been transferred to Iran after her abduction. She is also alleged to have been detained by Kata’ib Hezbollah, though the group has denied any involvement.

Elizabeth Tsurkov, an Israeli citizen of Russian origin, She was kidnapped in Baghdad on March 26, 2023, during one of her repeated visits to Iraq / WANA News Agency

Despite the U.S. reportedly playing a key role in the efforts to free Tsurkov, there is no official confirmation from Washington that it supports the proposed exchange involving Nouri and the Iraqi detainees.

An Israeli source familiar with the situation said that while Tsurkov’s release is not yet imminent, there is growing hope and some indications of progress.

Mohammadreza Nouri has been held for over two years by U.S. forces in Baghdad. He was arrested on March 23, 2023, along with several others, on allegations of involvement in the killing of American citizen Stephen Edward Troell in Baghdad’s Zayouna district.

After four months of imprisonment and torture, Nouri and four Iraqi detainees were tried in a court lacking legal and criminal jurisdiction, without access to lawyers or their families. The trial, reportedly influenced by the U.S. embassy, resulted in a death sentence for Nouri. However, documents later submitted showed that Nouri was at Najaf airport at the time of the killing, with images and identity records registered at the airport gate.

In the second hearing in late August 2023, Nouri’s death sentence was reduced to life imprisonment. The charge was reframed as a “personal-motive killing” of an American citizen, with the initial terrorism accusation dropped.

Iranian judicial official Kazem Gharibabadi, then Deputy for International Affairs, stated on June 9, 2024, that legal efforts to challenge the charges and secure Nouri’s release were ongoing. During the Iranian Judiciary Chief’s visit to Iraq in March 2024, the issue was also raised. Following legal interventions, the charges were revised from terrorism to lesser accusations, enabling the possibility of a prisoner transfer to Iran under a convict transfer agreement.

Gharibabadi emphasized that the accusations lacked any legal basis. He also noted that a U.S. request to extradite Nouri was rejected by Iraqi authorities.

Nevertheless, U.S. forces continued to pressure and allegedly torture Nouri in a bid to extract a confession—efforts that ultimately failed, as Nouri firmly denied the allegations and refused to submit under coercion.