Biden gives Iran $6 billion for 5 hostages

Biden Trades $6 Billion to Iran for American Hostages

The New York Times reports today:

The United States and Iran have reached an agreement to win the freedom of five imprisoned Americans in exchange for several jailed Iranians and eventual access to about $6 billion in Iranian oil revenue, according to several people familiar with the deal.

… [P]eople familiar with the agreement said that when the Americans are allowed to return to the United States, the Biden administration will release a handful of Iranian nationals serving prison sentences for violating sanctions on Iran.

The United States will also transfer nearly $6 billion of Iran’s assets in South Korea, putting the funds into an account in the central bank of Qatar, according to the people familiar with the deal. The account will be controlled by the government of Qatar and regulated so Iran can gain access to the money only to pay vendors for humanitarian purchases such as medicine and food, they said.

Gabriel Noronha, who served as State Department advisor on Iran in the Trump administration, tweeted in response to this news: "NYT confirms Iran is getting $6-7 billion dollars for taking American hostages. That's as much as its entire military budget in 2021!"

Mark Dubowitz, CEO of the Foundation in Defense of Democracies and another expert on Iran, had this to say on social media:

• 1. It’s good news that American hostages, illegally seized by the regime in Iran, are coming home.

• 2. But paying $6 billion in ransom payments means the regime will only take more hostages. This has become a lucrative means of international extortion for Iran’s supreme leader.

• 3. The $6 billion will not only [be] used for humanitarian purposes. In the real world where cash is fungible, it will free up $6 billion to be used for terrorism, funding drones for Russia, domestic repression, and nuclear weapons expansion.

• 4. Only when the regime is severely punished for illegally seizing hostages, not rewarded with billions in ransom payments, will it put a stop to these humanitarian abuses.

I thought we had a policy--no ransom for hostages. We are F-ing nuts!  Such saps!