Discussion for article #244867
So basically the price of freeing four Americans from Iranian jail was releasing six Americans from U.S jails, in for breaking trade sanctions, and one Iranian accused of hacking. Sounds like a pretty good deal to me.
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Obama. Worst negotiator ever. I’d have gotten eighteen Americans back and made Iran pay. @RealDonaldTrump
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This strikes me as another - if very subtle - diplomatic triumph for the Obama Administration. I’m confident the release of these men was reported in the Iranian news outlets, and while the fact that they all chose to stay in the U.S. may not be widely reported, I’m sure the young Iranian bloggers will pick this up.
(I’m assuming the administration had some discretion as to which prisoners to include in the swap. If so, good choices!)
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Very interesting. (German accent).
How long until Cruz says it’s an Obamanation that these released terrorist prisoners aren’t deported immediately… ?
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I don’t wanna seem dismissive of these men’s choices, because it’s significant for them, but… this is news?
Equally accurate headline:
“US Residents Released From Jail Don’t Flee US”
I mean, these guys committed crimes while living here. They didn’t come here to commit crimes.
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So it is a triumph that folks convicted of illegally giving technology and supplies to Iran are staying in the United States? I guess it might be sort of embarrassing for Iran, but them staying here hardly strikes me as a win for us.
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I’m confused by this outcome. So they’re free in the US because they didn’t want to go to Iran, but they would have remained in jail for crimes had they not been on the swap list? Something strange going on here. No?
Seems a bit more than breaking trade sanctions to me. The technology that was being sold had military use in some cases. Maybe I’m missing something here.
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Someone in Iran has got to be red-faced over this result.
You spend four years capturing Americans to trade for your agents and then none of the agents even want to come for a visit.
Ty
Those remaining six will be monitored for a good while.
They are Iranian intelligence assets and until its disproven, that will be the story.
Not sure if the 30 yr old is safe as of today.
He wasn’t a citizen and he was convicted of hacking a defense contractor.
Can’t wait to hear his defense.
They did their jobs and the Iranians got their info.
They are now the FBI’s worry
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I have no doubt that Cheney’s Hallibuton and other wired GOTP corporations have done far worse and never been called on the carpet for any of their illegal and massively anti-American profiteering.
So, for me, aAs long as the Shrub and Cheney are free, the U.S. should be embarrassed to lock up anyone for anything less than murder, rape, and arson.
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If they had sold arms to Iran they would have been hailed as heroes. Just ask Ollie North.
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Don’t remember the source, but it was noted that the dropping of the sanctions made what they were convicted of doing no longer a crime - it was violating the sanctions that got them in the first place. It’s kinda like releasing somebody jailed in Colorado for marijuana in an amount that is no longer criminal.
Carly’s HP is alleged to have sold printers, violating sanctions. She’s not going to win, but is running for president. Those printers are now no longer under sanction.
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These people should be kicked out of the US–hopefully that is in the works.
It’s important to weigh what each side is getting against each other. In that context, it seems pretty clear this was a fig leaf for the Iranians.
These seven men are American citizens not easily deported, and still subject to US investigation and law enforcement. It’s difficult to imagine them being in the position to do similar harm again. Also, most were merely indicted not yet convicted.
Iran’s trying not to lose face as it lets go of much higher value US prisoners. This tells us that the cost of holding them was higher than their value. The deal may very well move Iran past the mode of grabbing Americans on trumped-up charges and holding them essentially as hostages.
The only sour note is Levinson and what appears to be the Administration’s poor communication with his family. That’s always been a squirrelly case: He was either a CIA spy or a freelance investigator, so presumably he went in knowing the risk. There’s a good chance that he’s dead, yet it’s unfortunate that even getting more information about him wasn’t part of the deal. Reportedly, there’s a separate, low-key track involving resolution of that case.
you neglected to note that the government’s cases against these people must have been pretty thin to begin with, and they don’t represent much of a security risk, or the powers that be wouldn’t have been so quick to agree to free them.