None call it a ransom payment
Submitted by gjohnsit on Tue, 08/02/2016 - 10:19pm
A little suspicious? Nah.
WASHINGTON—The Obama administration secretly organized an airlift of $400 million worth of cash to Iran that coincided with the January release of four Americans detained in Tehran, according to U.S. and European officials and congressional staff briefed on the operation afterward.
Wooden pallets stacked with euros, Swiss francs and other currencies were flown into Iran on an unmarked cargo plane, according to these officials. The U.S. procured the money from the central banks of the Netherlands and Switzerland, they said.
OK. Maybe a little suspicious.
The settlement, which resolved claims before an international tribunal in The Hague, also coincided with the formal implementation that same weekend of the landmark nuclear agreement reached between Tehran, the U.S. and other global powers the summer before.
“With the nuclear deal done, prisoners released, the time was right to resolve this dispute as well,” President Barack Obama said at the White House on Jan. 17—without disclosing the $400 million cash payment.
Good thing a Republican didn't do this, or it would look bad.
Since the cash shipment, the intelligence arm of the Revolutionary Guard has arrested two more Iranian-Americans. Tehran has also detained dual-nationals from France, Canada and the U.K. in recent months.
Just ignore that.
Comments
Evertbody wants in on the cash cow
we call America.
Neither Russia nor China is our enemy.
Neither Iran nor Venezuela are threatening America.
Cuba is a dead horse, stop beating it.
The only ones not allowed to get a piece of the pie...
are the American public. Our piece is to pull ourselves up by the bootstrap's and get 3rd job. Somebody has to pay the taxes to finance these giveaways.
“Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we. They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we.”
George W. Bush
Cow diarreah
I call bs... this is not a "giveaway", it is returning the money the fucking Reaganites stole from Iran by freezing money they paid into a trust fund. That is... the money was frozen in a trust fund and is now being released with interest.
You all Americans can call Iran anything you want, but Iran is a trusted ally of Bolivia and has never mistreated us the way America has. I can and have criticized Iran's execution of prisoners in the early eighties, but remember, this was during a USA sponsored Iraqi war and INVASION against Iran which killed over 1,000,000 people, and where most of the fighting was done on Iranian territory.
I don't believe in the death penalty and it should be abolished immediately. I do believe the USA has executed and continues to execute not only traitors, but innocent people, including plenty of women and children and never to forget lynching which is now legal lynching-by-cop.
From the Light House.
USA meddling
Is conveniently forgotten Alex. Very few Americans will admit to the fact that our policies, intervention, embargo's, financial tyranny, military harassment, and on, and on, are the reason the leadership in Iran hates us so.
Starting with the installment of the Shah, and creating a nuclear Israel, just didn't seem to be enough. Then we had to create the monster named Saddam Hussien, and pump him up into a military bully to do our bidding and protect the special interests of BIG OIL.
The Iranians had vast sums of assets frozen by the influence America, and Israel hold over the international banking community. Clinton hates the Iranians just as previous US Gov persons...cause they won't kiss our asses
It was Iran's money
No doubt about that.
But the timing sure looks like ransom payment to me.
BTW
The picture of the bay in the sailboat looks suspiciously close to home, so please don't take my lambasting personally. I just get livid when some Americans talk about Iran as if it is some sort of evil empire. They PAID for war planes to fight against a USA led Iraqi invasion of their territory and those planes were never delivered, and their money never returned.
From the Light House.
No apology necessary!
I'd forgotten and hadn't realized that this was payment for the US screwing Iran. Over the years it's hard to keep track of all the countries the US has screwed and who we need to fairly compensate for our criminal actions. And don't even get me started on what I feel we should owe Vietnam for what we did to their country. We are nothing but the bullies of the world. One of these days the world is going to wake up and realize that the US does more harm than good and collectively decide to put a stop to our never ending misadventures!
And I too get so damn tired of Americans making country after country the evil boogeyman. They do the same thing to Malaysia. These countries may have their own problems, but the US should step back and take a good look at itself in the mirror. There is a damn good reason why so many people in the world believe the US is the biggest terrorist group in the world today.
“Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we. They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we.”
George W. Bush
Double post
“Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we. They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we.”
George W. Bush
Money stolen from Iran in the 70's plus interest
U.S. Settlement of Iran Claims Tribunal Claim was Prudent but Possible Linkage to Release of Americans Is Regrettable
By John Bellinger Monday, January 18, 2016, 11:53 AM
The USA stealing money from our countries is quite commonplace. Its too bad it was such a small sum returned.
From the Light House.
Especially since we were raiding Iran for oil
at least decades before the 70s!
The exploitation of the Iranian oil fields
was begun in 1928 by the British by a company now know as British Petroleum. The Americans came in later and helped screw Iran over even more culminating with the installation of the Shah of Iran. And people wonder why we are hated.
http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/oil-agreements-in-iran
"I can't understand why people are frightened of new ideas. I'm frightened of the old ones."
John Cage
CIA successful dismantle
Dr. Mohammad Mossadegh Biography
fts
Yeah, agree.
Apparently the $400M was the Shah's money that previous US admins just ... kept. Now the Iranian's claim it belonged to "the Shah's administration". Supposedly it was payment for war planes. During and after the revolt, of course US could not deliver the planes. But one thing is for sure, it was not the US' money. Now the Iranians should pay US for our financial losses associated with their takeover of our embassy and staff. And we should pay them for their costs related to our CIA overthrowing their elected president. All very messy, and US are not the good guys.
When Trump says he wants to take Iraqi oil, his words make me think he has the heart of a thief. What's different about keeping this money we knew wasn't ours?
~annominous
Why Tribunals?
Thats exactly what the Tribunal did, it verified American citizen claims against Iran to the tune of over 2bn. Some of those claims were clearly fraudulent, but the tribunal dealt with that as well.
You must remember that Iran does not recognize dual citizenship, which is their right. That means that Iran/American binationals are only Iran nationals in their law. I suppose one could renounce Iranian citizenship.
There is also a problem win a country nationalizes industries and resources that deep down were stolen or partially stolen by different European colonists or under puppet regimes. Thats why there are tribunals.
From the Light House.
Wasn't the unfreezing of Iranian assets aka coin part of the
latest nuclear agreement with them? Iran has been cash-strapped for years, not just with the U.S. They are frantic over getting that money. It's a shame our so-called 'press' couched it in ra-ra jingoistic terms. Rec'd!!
Inner and Outer Space: the Final Frontiers.
Petraeus achieved his limited "success" in Iraq
exactly this way, by delivering pallets of cash to his enemies.
"Obama promised transparency, but Assange is the one who brought it."
Few, if any US msm outlets
are completely trustworthy, or "even-handed" with their reporting, especially in regard to foreign affairs. WSJ does occasionally provide excellent journalism, but I wouldn't take everything they publish at face value. There's often so much disinformation in it, you just can't swallow it whole..
native
Nah, C'mon. Get real.
It's only $400M in unmarked Euros and Swiss Francs, delivered in a clandestine flight to Tehran on the day of the prisoner swap.
Perfectly fine. Admin doesn't have to disclose such as it may interfere with its crowing about the Agreement (note: not Treaty).
Why do you persist in yelling "fire" in a crowded theater?
Just file it with "If you like your Dr. you can keep your Dr.", "The average participant will see a $2,500 decrease in premiums", "We are experiencing the strongest economic recovery in history." "What gun running to Mexico?", etc. etc.
Prof: Nancy! I’m going to Greece!
Nancy: And swim the English Channel?
Prof: No. No. To ancient Greece where burning Sapho stood beside the wine dark sea. Wa de do da! Nancy, I’ve invented a time machine!
Firesign Theater
Stop the War!