{"id":2038829,"date":"2023-09-20T14:20:02","date_gmt":"2023-09-20T18:20:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/paying-iranian-terrorists-billions-in-ransom-is-nothing-to-brag-about-mr-president\/"},"modified":"2023-09-20T14:23:34","modified_gmt":"2023-09-20T18:23:34","slug":"paying-iranian-terrorists-billions-in-ransom-is-nothing-to-brag-about-mr-president","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/paying-iranian-terrorists-billions-in-ransom-is-nothing-to-brag-about-mr-president\/","title":{"rendered":"Mr. President, boasting about paying billions to Iranian terrorists is not commendable."},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">24<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fpaying-iranian-terrorists-billions-in-ransom-is-nothing-to-brag-about-mr-president%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2038829&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div class=\"article-content\">\n<h2>The High Cost of American Hostages<\/h2>\n<p>The going rate for an American hostage these days is around $1.3 billion. That\u2019s what \u200dthe Biden administration functionally <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/politics\/national-security\/iran-says-it-plans-to-free-five-american-prisoners-monday-80ac526f\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">paid out<\/a> for\u200d five Americans \u200cin a prisoner swap with the Islamic Republic of Iran \u2062this week. And with little overhead, it\u2019s mostly profit \u200dfor the mullahs.<\/p>\n<p>But don\u2019t let the term \u201cprisoner swap\u201d insinuate any \u2062moral equivalence. These are\u200d not two normal countries trading spies or combatants. No, this is just an\u200b old-fashioned extortion.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>The Iranians released political hostages, snatched off the streets of Tehran after unwisely returning to visit family or attending funerals \u2062or protests. Many of them\u2062 were reportedly thrown into\u2064 the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hrw.org\/reports\/2004\/iran0604\/5.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">notorious<\/a> Evin prison for the\u200c crime of having dual citizenship. Some, \u2063like Siamak Namazi, were put in solitary\u200b confinement for\u200d over two years.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Conversely, the United States released a bunch of spies, most\u200b of them caught trying to send military and nuclear equipment back to Iran \u2014 all of them given\u200b the \u200bbenefit of due process.<\/p>\n<p>The moral imperative to retrieve American citizens from these fascist regimes is\u2063 admirable. Incentivizing more kidnappings is not. So, it\u2019s one \u2063thing for the Biden administration to contend, \u201cwe did what \u200che had to do\u201d and quite another\u200b for them to celebrate as\u2063 if they had just signed the Peace of Westphalia.<\/p>\n<p>Yesterday, \u200dWhite \u200bHouse National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/JakeSullivan46\/status\/1704096521749246209?s=20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">tweeted<\/a> out a triumphant picture of the Biden team \u2064and the released\u2062 hostages, writing \u201cseven Americans on their\u2063 way home from\u2062 Iran alongside a world class group of American diplomats.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>The fact that Iran, a far weaker state with little leverage, walks away with its spies and six billion in \u2064sanctioned cash in exchange for five innocent people does not\u2064 strike me as a great diplomatic coup \u2026 at least, not for the United States.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Mullahs,\u2063 and others, feel quite comfortable taking\u200d American hostages, which speaks poorly of our \u2064world standing, and confoundingly of the Democrats\u2019 soft touch with Iran. \u201cHey, that\u2019s a nice military base you \u200chave there, it would be\u200d a shame if it ended up like the \u2062shredded corpse of Qasem\u2064 Soleimani,\u201d is\u200d what the vile mullahs should be hearing. Instead, Democrats,\u200b gung ho to fight proxy wars against nuclear powers, will almost never utter a cross \u2064word that might offend the Supreme Leader of Iran.<\/p>\n<p>Secretary of State Antony Blinken, trying \u2064to manage the political fallout, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.state.gov\/secretary-antony-j-blinken-remarks-to-the-press-11\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">contends<\/a> that the United States is \u201cworking every\u2064 single day to take steps to make this practice [hostage taking] more and more difficult and more and more of a burden on those \u200ccountries that engage in it.\u201d They say the same \u200bthing every time. And it is never \u200dtrue.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Hostage-taking has \u2062been a lucrative business \u200dfor the Islamic Republic since its inception. Jimmy\u200b Carter and Ronald Reagan both signed off on a deal to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.history.com\/this-day-in-history\/iran-hostage-crisis-ends\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">transfer<\/a> nearly $8 billion to the Ayatollah for American \u200dhostages. Reagan tried to \u2064do it again in 1986 with a convoluted scheme that was\u2062 also intended to help Nicaraguan rebels, which became <a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/event\/Iran-Contra-Affair\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">known<\/a> as \u2063the\u2063 Iran-Contra affair.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Barack Obama\u2019s \u200bmidnight\u2063 cash ransom payments \u2014 not to mention other highly dubious and likely <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2017\/12\/21\/a-deafening-media-silence-on-the-obama-hezbollah-scandal\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">illegal<\/a> giveaways to Iran \u2014 \u2063was an even <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nationalreview.com\/corner\/yes-obama-helped-fund-the-iranian-regime\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">bigger scandal<\/a>,\u200d though you would never have known from the coverage. Obama, obsessed with\u200d helping \u200dIran become a Middle Eastern power, gave\u2064 Iran virtually everything they \u2062wanted in nuclear talks. Guess what? Almost immediately, they <a href=\"http:\/\/thehill.com\/blogs\/pundits-blog\/foreign-policy\/291999-iran-takes-obamas-hostage-money-and-takes-more-hostages\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">began taking more American prisoners<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>For a\u200c long time, U.S. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rand.org\/blog\/2014\/09\/why-the-us-swaps-prisoners-but-doesnt-pay-ransom.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">policy<\/a> was to never pay ransom \u200bfor hostages taken by terror groups. The Justice Department <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/articles\/justice-department-officials-raised-objections-on-u-s-cash-payment-to-iran-1470262789\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">objected<\/a> to Obama\u2019s lavish cash payments \u200bto Iran because \u200bit ignored those existing guidelines. This is why Washington now\u2064 uses diplomatic euphemisms like \u201cwrongfully detained\u201d rather than \u201chostage.\u201d And the U.S. not\u200d only still considers \u2064Iran \u200ca state sponsor of terrorism but \u200dit has designated the \u200dIslamic Revolutionary Guard, the group that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/international\/archive\/2023\/08\/iran-evin-political-prisoners-diplomacy\/675099\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">reportedly<\/a> seized\u200c <em>these very people<\/em> we just liberated, a terror organization.<\/p>\n<p>Which is also \u200bwhy\u2062 the White House <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/articles\/iran-american-hostages-ransom-biden-administration-antony-blinken-f8473327\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">claims<\/a> that \u201cunder terms that provide confidence, the funds will be spent only on a limited category of humanitarian trade: food, medicine and agricultural products. That\u2019s it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Is it, though? There is\u200d absolutely no real way to ensure that the Islamofascists in Qatar, the nation \u201cbrokering\u201d the deal, will hold their friends in Iran accountable, or that it even matters. Before all the funds were \u2062even transferred \u2062to\u2062 Iranian accounts, \u201cPresident\u201d Ebrahim Raisi had <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/video\/6337443426112\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">told<\/a> NBC News that his country would spend\u2064 $6 billion \u201cwherever \u200cwe need it.\u201d Of course, even if the mullahs bought only \u201cfood, medicine and agricultural products\u201d with it, \u200bthat specific\u2064 money is, as everyone knows, fungible.<\/p>\n<p>Iran boosters will tell you none\u2064 of this matters because the ransom money is<em> <\/em>actually Iran\u2019s to begin with \u2014 funds \u200bheld by South \u200dKorea due \u200dto American sanctions. It\u2019s not theirs, we took it. Nor<em> <\/em>should it\u200c ever be theirs<em>.<\/em> \u200cThe Iranian government, companies, and officials still owe \u200dAmerican citizens <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fdd.org\/analysis\/2016\/05\/06\/iran-still-owes-53-billion-in-unpaid-u-s-court-judgments-to-american-victims-of-iranian-terrorism\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">at least<\/a> $53 billion \u2063in outstanding \u2064judgments. \u2063Legislation passed in\u2064 2015 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2015\/12\/25\/us\/politics\/americans-held-hostage-in-iran-win-compensation-36-years-later.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">granted<\/a> $4.44 \u200cmillion to every American\u200c held hostage by Iran in 1981 \u200c\u2014 $10,000 per\u2063 day. Then there are the families\u2063 and relatives of 9\/11 victims, who also <a href=\"https:\/\/abcnews.go.com\/International\/iran-ordered-pay-billions-relatives-911-victims\/story?id=54862664\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">won<\/a> tens of millions in\u2064 judgments against Iran, which not only\u200d gave \u2062safe harbor to Sunni terror groups but also helped transit al-Qaeda members out of Afghanistan\u2064 before 9\/11, including some \u200dof the hijackers.<\/p>\n<p>Maybe we needed to make this deal, maybe not. But giving a nation that attacks \u2062U.S.\u2062 interests around the world, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/your-military\/2019\/04\/04\/iran-killed-more-us-troops-in-iraq-than-previously-known-pentagon-says\/#:~:text=%E2%80%9CDuring%20Operation%20Iraqi%20Freedom%2C%20DoD,spokesman%2C%20said%20in%20an%20email.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">murders<\/a> hundreds of \u2062our\u200b soldiers, takes \u2062hostages whenever it needs cash, and is \u200bat the center of every\u200c bloody conflict in the \u2062Middle East, another $6 billion is nothing to brag \u200cabout.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\"> <\/p>\n<h2> What are the non-monetary costs endured by American hostages and their families, and \u2063why are they immeasurable?<\/h2>\n<p><span>  N it.\u201d However, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/pompeo-blasts-griner-prisoner-swap-bad-guys-for-celebrities-sends-wrong-message\/\" title=\"Pompeo Blasts Griner Prisoner Swap: \u2018Bad Guys For Celebrities\u2019 Sends Wrong Message\">recent prisoner swap<\/a> with Iran clearly demonstrates that \u200bthe \u200cAmerican government&#8217;s efforts to \u2064prevent hostage\u2062 situations have been ineffective.<\/p>\n<p>The cost of American hostages\u2064 is not just measured in monetary terms. The physical and emotional toll\u200b on\u2064 the\u2062 individuals and their families is immeasurable. These innocent \u200dAmericans have endured years of captivity, often in\u200d deplorable conditions, separated\u200c from their loved ones and deprived of their <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/sen-rand-paul-challenges-biden-transgender-sports-policy\/\" title=\"Sen. Rand Paul challenges Biden transgender sports policy\">basic human rights<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Furthermore, the ransom paid to secure the release of these hostages only fuels the incentive for more kidnappings. Kidnappers and extremist groups see the \u200csignificant \u200cfinancial gains they can achieve by targeting American citizens, making them \u200cprime targets \u200dfor future abductions.<\/p>\n<p>The Biden administration&#8217;s decision to release spies in exchange for innocent hostages sends a troubling message. It suggests that the United States is willing to negotiate with terrorists and grant concessions to \u200dcountries that engage\u200b in hostage taking. This not only undermines the country&#8217;s\u200d reputation but also puts American citizens at an increased\u200d risk when traveling abroad.<\/p>\n<p>It is disheartening to see the Iranian regime, known \u200cfor its human rights abuses and support \u200cof \u200bterrorism, walk away with an additional six billion dollars in sanctioned cash. This lopsided \u2062exchange does not reflect a diplomatic victory for the United \u2063States; instead, it highlights the country&#8217;s vulnerability in dealing with hostile nations.<\/p>\n<p>The Biden administration\u2062 should\u200c take a stronger stance against countries that engage in hostage taking.\u200d It should prioritize the safety and security of American citizens \u2062above \u2064all else. Firmly condemning such actions and implementing robust measures to prevent future abductions are \u200dnecessary\u2063 to protect the\u2062 lives and well-being of Americans both at home and abroad.<\/p>\n<p>Moreover, it is crucial that the United States \u2063reassesses\u2064 its approach towards Iran. The Democrats&#8217; soft touch with Iran, \u2064ignoring \u200bthe regime&#8217;s egregious actions\u200d and human rights violations, only reinforces their audacity to continue engaging in hostile activities. The Biden administration must hold Iran accountable for \u2064its actions, \u2063not just through words,\u2063 but through\u2062 concrete actions that demonstrate the United States&#8217; commitment to protecting its \u2062citizens and upholding international norms.<\/p>\n<p>In conclusion,\u200b the high cost of American hostages extends far beyond the financial ransom. Extortion and hostage-taking should not be \u200btolerated in any form, and\u2064 the United States\u200d must take\u200d decisive action to \u200bprevent and deter\u2064 such incidents. By\u2064 prioritizing the safety of American citizens and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/paying-iranian-terrorists-billions-in-ransom-is-nothing-to-brag-about-mr-president\/\" title=\"Mr. President, boasting about paying billions to Iranian terrorists is not commendable.\">holding\u2063 hostage-taking countries accountable<\/a>, the United States can restore its standing in the world and protect its citizens from the horrors\u2063 of captivity.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Biden administration recently paid approximately $1.3 billion for five American hostages in a prisoner exchange with Iran. This transaction greatly benefits the mullahs, as it yields significant profit with minimal expenses. However, it is important not to misconstrue the term &#8220;prisoner swap&#8221; as anything other than a costly transaction.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":831,"featured_media":2038830,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[546],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2038829","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-federalist"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2038829","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/831"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2038829"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2038829\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2038830"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2038829"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2038829"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2038829"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}