Unlike Obama, the UK is at least being honest that it’s trading money for hostages. The dishonesty, like the devil, is in the details with the pretense that a “debt is being paid” or that the money will go to humanitarian needs so it’s not funding terrorism even though it’s all fungible.
But this is just the smaller-scale British version of what Obama did.
Two British citizens who had been jailed in Iran for more than five years — charity worker Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe and retired civil engineer Anoosheh Ashoori — returned home to their families’ hugs and tears Thursday after the U.K. settled a decades-old debt to Iran.
“Debt.”
More honestly, a $515 million payment was made to an Islamic terror state in exchange for the release of 3 hostages.
The release of Zaghari-Ratcliffe and Ashoori came as the U.S., Britain and other countries seek to secure the release of dozens of dual nationals detained by Iran, which doesn’t recognize their right to hold citizenship in another country. Family members and human rights activists accuse Iran of arresting the dual nationals on trumped up charges to squeeze concessions out of Western nations.
Which is exactly why the U.S. and the UK and other countries should stop making ransom payments. It just leads to more hostage taking.
The U.S. needs to make it very clear that anyone traveling to Iran, unless they’re on a government mission, is on their own. And that we have a firm advisory telling Americans not to visit the Islamic terror state and actually banning such travel as illegal because it finances terrorism.
Of course that would cut into the New York Times terror tour business.
Britain agreed to pay Iran 393.8 million pounds ($515.5 million), which will be ring-fenced so the money can only be used for humanitarian purposes. The British government declined to offer details of the arrangement.
No doubt.
At least Boris got a better deal than Obama. Hussein paid $1.7 billion for 4 hostages.
Tony says
Iran is a proud nation and will have to defend itself from aggression.
James Lincoln says
That certainly reflects the devout muslim viewpoint, Tony.
gravenimage says
Note that “Tony”–not his real name–considers taking hostages something to be proud of, and condemning this cowardly practice as “aggression”.
As James Lincoln notes, this is the devout Muslim viewpoint. *Ugh*.
raja says
Half a billion for 3 is windfall. I didn’t know that kidnapping a Westerner was so rewarding…..
gravenimage says
It frequenlty is in Islam. This is what the Somali pirates were doing until a coalition of mostly Western nations largely put a stop to it a few years ago.
john smith says
Boris was blamed by many for Zaghari Ratcliffe’s detention in the first place, when he stated that she was just teaching people journalism, when she was doing nothing of the sort. Iran quickly jumped on his blunder saying this is more evidence that she is a spy.
Who knows, Boris may well of been feeling a bit guilty about this.
Michael Copeland says
When Boris was Mayor of London he supported the idea of a so-called “amnesty” for illegal aliens. Translated, this is capitulation to illegality, being failure to uphold the law.
gravenimage says
UK Gives Iran $515,000,000 for 3 Hostages
…………….
Orthodox Islam–taking hostages and ransoming them. The “Prophet” Muhammed regularly did the same–kidnapping victims and ransoming them, enslaving them, or murdering them. Pious Muslims despise productive labor and consider it fit only for slaves.
John Allan says
Rest assured, the UK didn’t pay ANYTHING in USD!
OLD GUY says
I hope the check bounces, or the ink on the money disappears. I also took note that these hostages were not names like Tom, Joe, Johm, Pete, all seem to be foreign to the UK.
Looks like Iran knows how to cut a deal.