LYON (euronews) — Iranian state TV had previously reported that Iran had agreed to release five detainees in return for cash. The British foreign office said it would continue “to explore options to resolve this 40-year old case and we will not comment further as legal discussions are ongoing.’’

The re-engagement with Iran during talks with European officials in Vienna over its nuclear programme has raised hopes that Tehran may be more willing to release British and American detainees, especially since Joseph Biden replaced President Trump in the White House.

When the nuclear deal was originally signed in 2015, Tehran carried out a prisoner swap and there is optimism that it may do so again if it returns to the agreement. However, various Iranian factions are currently involved in a power struggle ahead of the June 18 election in the country, and the false report about the deal may be an effort by hardliners to undermine Iran’s pro-western president, Hasan Rouhani.