the usa has a colourful history with iran, from 1953 onward at minimum.. i am not sure many americans know about it either, but regardless, if the usa was ever to get its cia head out of its ass, it would be better served.. instead the cia and intel agencies dictate the shots and the results remain unhelpful to either side... of course the assassination of soleimini was very unhelpful as are usa's demand the rest of the world to maintain its unilateral sanction regime against countries that the usa is incapable of dominating.. but fortunately change does happen, however slowly.. maybe one day the usa will wake up to see that they're reaping what they have sowed.. i'm not hopeful, but it is always possible..
A WSJ article asked a cogent Question. Why do we allow Amcits to go to Iran? One of the dumbass hostages went to see his girlfriend. What happened to the American policy of never paying ransom? Certainly we don’t want to hurt the feelings of the mullahs in making hamburger out of Soliemani. He should have been allowed to quietly go about his business of killing My fellow soldiers.
very good question... financial sanctions which are outside the un mandate or anything to do with international law and etc are a favourite tool of the usa bully... when you want to be the world policemen and dictate who can and can't do what - other countries will definitely challenge your world view..
Iran just does not trust the US to honor their side of the deal, so they want the transaction to happen first... Given how trustworthy Biden's administrations is on the global state, seems very reasonable.
How is that a ransom if the US is releasing Iran's money it froze in the first place? the prisoner exchange seems fair, and the deal will be honored by Iran...
Seems like a good step in the right direction for everybody....
Still pure bribery. Trading people for money (does not matter the source of the money). The administration has been trying to promote Iran for quite a while, and the result is more Iranian terrorism, internal suppression, and a military and nuclear program growing more and more dangerous. To me, Iran is a terrorist state and will soon be a nuclear power. Feeding the monster is the last thing we should be doing. Reckless policy.
Are you talking about the six billion here as if it were US money ? According to information, it was the money of the Iranians that the USA stole in the usual way. You really like to steal (seize) other states' money and then you are surprised that they don't trust you and that's why those states that you can't keep in your dirty paws will join forces and conduct their transactions with each other in their own currency ! You are like the dirty robber knights in the Middle Ages, you stand at a bridge and take money from everyone passing by, and if you like something, you take it by force, because you can !
By the way, are you still stealing oil from the Syrians ? What a disgrace, the American army stands guard as the property of a foreign state is stolen in the oil tankers !
Well, you see, this is the serious problem with you, You don't tolerate dissent, anyone who doesn't lick the USA's ass on command will immediately become a terrorist supporter ! :)
By the way, what makes you feel like the center of the Universe ? Perhaps Jesus Christ came down from heaven and chose the USA as the chosen people ? :) No , hat role is filled by someone else !
You have adopted the former communist slogan "With us or against us!" How democratic is that?
I do not support any state other than my own, but I will not accept a hegemon to rule the planet who steals other people's rightful money at will, be it any independent state!
@ bela - i don't think stephen thinks he is the center of the universe, but the usa on some level indeed does, which is why it continues to act the way it does.... i agree with your sentiment, but i would like it more if it came across as less of an attack on a person, and more of an attack on a system that has a lot of world wide support and which clearly needs to change..
I accept your argument for the most part ! But I would like to note that I didn't call him a supporter of terrorism, he called me, so he has no idea about me ! This has become an ugly habit in certain circles, if he doesn't agree with you, he hits you like a jerk (right now accusing you of being a supporter of terrorism) with an accusation that you have nothing to do with ! Can I wait for the authorities to search the house at night ? Well, no, in my country we don't take the money of other states, we don't impose our own flawed ideology on it, and we don't knock down the statues of famous and respected people either !
what would you call it when you release huge sums to a terrorist state? Helping them do more terrorism? Build more nuclear weapons? Destroy other countries?
This is a matter that should only concerns Iran and South Korea : the Koreans bought oil to the Iranians and the USA forbids them from paying their supplier. As detestable as the Iranian regime is, it is counterproductive to stop them accessing their own money.
Best guess? "Great Game" thinking, attempting to play Arabs and Iranians off against each other, so they keep the oil flowing to Japan, South Korea, and the EU to fund defense.
Mediocre people, without integrity or principles, rarely make sound, well thought out decisions, or exhibit consistency in their actions. Maybe they think this deal (especially releasing the funds) will turn Iran away from Russia/China or maybe it has to do with whatever mess they're cooking up in Azerbaijan/Armenia or maybe something to do with Syria. Whatever the case, Blinken & crew just do whatever gets them what they want in the moment; repercussions are not their concern. I doubt that the Americans in Iranian custody concern him much either, from how he handled it.
I notice the secret nazi lovers and jew haters -almost always from the left- are out in force on the social media- smoked out from their caves- by the cowardly attacks of the Iranian supported cowardly Palestinian/Islamist attacks on children. The deaths of the innocents are blood on the hands if the Obama/ Biden regime supporting the mullahs
There were terrible floods in Derna, Libya overnight, caused by collapse of two old dams not maintained since the overthrow of Gaddafi (who gave his country the best infrastructure and HDI in Africa)
The town of Derna is partly destroyed.
I now remember how this was the centre of the NATO-GCC hardline Islamists for whom America flew air support to topple Gaddafi.
Before being suppressed by the military faction controlling the East of the shattered and divided post-Gaddafi country in 2018, Islamists from Derna formed a large contingent fighting against another regime on the PNAC hitlist, in Syria.
I wrote in 2011 that for some in the CIA linking up again with the Mujahedeen in Eastern Libya - who flew the flag of the Anglo-American puppet Wahabi dictator Idris Senussi overthrown by Gaddafi in 1969 - this must have echoed the good old 1980s in Afghanistan.
But the Islamists of Iran are *bad* Islamists in the strange official Manichean theology of America - that was brought there by Puritans, and derives ultimately from Persian fire-religion that ironically also informs enemy Shia and Alawite theology in Iran and Syria ('pur' is Greek for purifying fire).
Stephen writes about ill-thought-out short-term policy in Iran.
I think there's a deeper question about ill-conceived US foreign policy since WW2, in oilrich Iran and Libya specifically, but of course globally.
You guys gave those countries repressive dictators to help you and Britain skim their oil reserves, and those corrupt repressive regimes in each country were overthrown by two rather different popular Islamic revolutions, which you then attempted for decades to undermine.
It's not just the policy of Blinken - and now no. 2. Nuland, as neocons take over the Dems after abandoning the GOP following their disastrous Iraq oil war...
...It's misguided cowboy foreign policy in general since WW2 that's the problem.
Your WW2 leader Ike explained a big part of that problem in his valedictory - though he didn't mention the MIC-Oil nexus.
Look in your scary mirror, America. You largely created the evil demons you spend all your time and money fighting at great cost to the rest of the world.
With Cheney's advisor 'Fuck the EU' Nuland and the Kagans now back in charge, I remember thinking in 2016: Oh well, Trump's less likely than Hillary to start WW3.
And despite myself, I'm starting to think the same about 2024.
the usa has a colourful history with iran, from 1953 onward at minimum.. i am not sure many americans know about it either, but regardless, if the usa was ever to get its cia head out of its ass, it would be better served.. instead the cia and intel agencies dictate the shots and the results remain unhelpful to either side... of course the assassination of soleimini was very unhelpful as are usa's demand the rest of the world to maintain its unilateral sanction regime against countries that the usa is incapable of dominating.. but fortunately change does happen, however slowly.. maybe one day the usa will wake up to see that they're reaping what they have sowed.. i'm not hopeful, but it is always possible..
Or maybe the US will decide the wackiest Zionists have a point, and depopulate the area between Jordan and India?
A WSJ article asked a cogent Question. Why do we allow Amcits to go to Iran? One of the dumbass hostages went to see his girlfriend. What happened to the American policy of never paying ransom? Certainly we don’t want to hurt the feelings of the mullahs in making hamburger out of Soliemani. He should have been allowed to quietly go about his business of killing My fellow soldiers.
would you feel the same if some assassination squad took out your own military leader? not playing fair is supposed to work only 1 way?
Is it ransom or is it Iranian money that we had frozen?
very good question... financial sanctions which are outside the un mandate or anything to do with international law and etc are a favourite tool of the usa bully... when you want to be the world policemen and dictate who can and can't do what - other countries will definitely challenge your world view..
Iran just does not trust the US to honor their side of the deal, so they want the transaction to happen first... Given how trustworthy Biden's administrations is on the global state, seems very reasonable.
How is that a ransom if the US is releasing Iran's money it froze in the first place? the prisoner exchange seems fair, and the deal will be honored by Iran...
Seems like a good step in the right direction for everybody....
Still pure bribery. Trading people for money (does not matter the source of the money). The administration has been trying to promote Iran for quite a while, and the result is more Iranian terrorism, internal suppression, and a military and nuclear program growing more and more dangerous. To me, Iran is a terrorist state and will soon be a nuclear power. Feeding the monster is the last thing we should be doing. Reckless policy.
Are you talking about the six billion here as if it were US money ? According to information, it was the money of the Iranians that the USA stole in the usual way. You really like to steal (seize) other states' money and then you are surprised that they don't trust you and that's why those states that you can't keep in your dirty paws will join forces and conduct their transactions with each other in their own currency ! You are like the dirty robber knights in the Middle Ages, you stand at a bridge and take money from everyone passing by, and if you like something, you take it by force, because you can !
By the way, are you still stealing oil from the Syrians ? What a disgrace, the American army stands guard as the property of a foreign state is stolen in the oil tankers !
It is nice to see you are supporting a terrorist state.
I made it very clear the money required a waiver of sanctions on Iran
Well, you see, this is the serious problem with you, You don't tolerate dissent, anyone who doesn't lick the USA's ass on command will immediately become a terrorist supporter ! :)
By the way, what makes you feel like the center of the Universe ? Perhaps Jesus Christ came down from heaven and chose the USA as the chosen people ? :) No , hat role is filled by someone else !
You have adopted the former communist slogan "With us or against us!" How democratic is that?
I do not support any state other than my own, but I will not accept a hegemon to rule the planet who steals other people's rightful money at will, be it any independent state!
Nonsense from top to bottom.
@ bela - i don't think stephen thinks he is the center of the universe, but the usa on some level indeed does, which is why it continues to act the way it does.... i agree with your sentiment, but i would like it more if it came across as less of an attack on a person, and more of an attack on a system that has a lot of world wide support and which clearly needs to change..
Thanks James. These days people attack you for motives you don't have and make assumptions that are unwarranted. I appreciate your comment to Bela.
thanks.. i agree with you.. belas comment is over the top..
I accept your argument for the most part ! But I would like to note that I didn't call him a supporter of terrorism, he called me, so he has no idea about me ! This has become an ugly habit in certain circles, if he doesn't agree with you, he hits you like a jerk (right now accusing you of being a supporter of terrorism) with an accusation that you have nothing to do with ! Can I wait for the authorities to search the house at night ? Well, no, in my country we don't take the money of other states, we don't impose our own flawed ideology on it, and we don't knock down the statues of famous and respected people either !
It's their money.
With all the due respect to the writter, it seems difficult to me to characterize letting Iran have access to its own money as "paying a ransom."
what would you call it when you release huge sums to a terrorist state? Helping them do more terrorism? Build more nuclear weapons? Destroy other countries?
i'd call that the ukraine situation... no one seems to have a problem with it either..
This is a matter that should only concerns Iran and South Korea : the Koreans bought oil to the Iranians and the USA forbids them from paying their supplier. As detestable as the Iranian regime is, it is counterproductive to stop them accessing their own money.
https://responsiblestatecraft.org/2023/08/11/hawks-hurl-lies-over-iran-prisoner-swap-but-cant-hide-this-truth/?fbclid=IwAR3m8EMvL3Z-v4QqzYW9EIqDqxDM6I7v_eGXFCITPfnkTkFmjzGXE2BoPHA
if the oil shipments were under embargo and Korea took the oil, then I don't understand your comment.
Best guess? "Great Game" thinking, attempting to play Arabs and Iranians off against each other, so they keep the oil flowing to Japan, South Korea, and the EU to fund defense.
Mediocre people, without integrity or principles, rarely make sound, well thought out decisions, or exhibit consistency in their actions. Maybe they think this deal (especially releasing the funds) will turn Iran away from Russia/China or maybe it has to do with whatever mess they're cooking up in Azerbaijan/Armenia or maybe something to do with Syria. Whatever the case, Blinken & crew just do whatever gets them what they want in the moment; repercussions are not their concern. I doubt that the Americans in Iranian custody concern him much either, from how he handled it.
I notice the secret nazi lovers and jew haters -almost always from the left- are out in force on the social media- smoked out from their caves- by the cowardly attacks of the Iranian supported cowardly Palestinian/Islamist attacks on children. The deaths of the innocents are blood on the hands if the Obama/ Biden regime supporting the mullahs
There were terrible floods in Derna, Libya overnight, caused by collapse of two old dams not maintained since the overthrow of Gaddafi (who gave his country the best infrastructure and HDI in Africa)
The town of Derna is partly destroyed.
I now remember how this was the centre of the NATO-GCC hardline Islamists for whom America flew air support to topple Gaddafi.
Before being suppressed by the military faction controlling the East of the shattered and divided post-Gaddafi country in 2018, Islamists from Derna formed a large contingent fighting against another regime on the PNAC hitlist, in Syria.
I wrote in 2011 that for some in the CIA linking up again with the Mujahedeen in Eastern Libya - who flew the flag of the Anglo-American puppet Wahabi dictator Idris Senussi overthrown by Gaddafi in 1969 - this must have echoed the good old 1980s in Afghanistan.
But the Islamists of Iran are *bad* Islamists in the strange official Manichean theology of America - that was brought there by Puritans, and derives ultimately from Persian fire-religion that ironically also informs enemy Shia and Alawite theology in Iran and Syria ('pur' is Greek for purifying fire).
Stephen writes about ill-thought-out short-term policy in Iran.
I think there's a deeper question about ill-conceived US foreign policy since WW2, in oilrich Iran and Libya specifically, but of course globally.
You guys gave those countries repressive dictators to help you and Britain skim their oil reserves, and those corrupt repressive regimes in each country were overthrown by two rather different popular Islamic revolutions, which you then attempted for decades to undermine.
It's not just the policy of Blinken - and now no. 2. Nuland, as neocons take over the Dems after abandoning the GOP following their disastrous Iraq oil war...
...It's misguided cowboy foreign policy in general since WW2 that's the problem.
Your WW2 leader Ike explained a big part of that problem in his valedictory - though he didn't mention the MIC-Oil nexus.
Look in your scary mirror, America. You largely created the evil demons you spend all your time and money fighting at great cost to the rest of the world.
With Cheney's advisor 'Fuck the EU' Nuland and the Kagans now back in charge, I remember thinking in 2016: Oh well, Trump's less likely than Hillary to start WW3.
And despite myself, I'm starting to think the same about 2024.
I'm more worried by Bob Kagan than Ginni Thomas.