Biden administration expects the release of five Americans detained in Iran
USA TodaySep 11, 2023
The Facts
On Tuesday, five Americans released from an Iranian prison a day earlier landed at Fort Belvoir, Virginia, following a deal that saw the US release five Iranian prisoners and transfer $6B in Iranian cash from accounts in South Korea to accounts in Doha, Qatar.
The American-Iranian dual citizens released are businessmen Siamak Namazi, 51, and Emad Sharqi, 59, as well as environmentalist Morad Tahbaz, 67, with the other two not yet publicly named. Of the five Iranians freed from the US, three chose not to return to Tehran.
The Spin
Democratic narrative
The Biden admin. has freed five innocent Americans. The freedom and well-being of US citizens are paramount to this administration and are worth the high price. Besides, though Republicans may try to spin this as the US giving Iran "free money," the unfrozen funds are from legally undertaken oil sales, so the US taxpayer is by no means footing the bill. Also, the US is putting additional sanctions on Tehran regarding the killing of Mahsa Amini.
Republican narrative
This "deal" is nothing more than a reward for terrorism. The Iranian regime is one of the most rogue regimes in the world, and Biden just gave Tehran billions in funds that they can now use to threaten US forces and allies in the region. On top of all of this, Biden is enabling Iran to build a nuclear weapon through his misguided diplomacy, which would change the geopolitical fabric of the entire region forever.
