From the same administration that took a televised victory lap around the Rose Garden when it released five high-value members of the Taliban to secure the freedom of deserter Bowe Bergdahl comes the latest prisoner swap.
This time, Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian and four other U.S. citizens imprisoned by Iran are reported to have been released.
And what concessions did the White House have to make that a reality? The official Iranian news agency Fars answers that question in a series of tweets:
Will this presidential election be the most important in American history?
According to the deal, Jason Rezaian, Amir Hekmat, Saeed Abedini & another US-Iranian have been released. https://t.co/SXm6VtLN1N
— Fars News Agency (@EnglishFars) January 16, 2016
The US, for its turn, has freed 7 Iranian-Americans held for sanctions-related charges. https://t.co/SXm6VtLN1N pic.twitter.com/wcy28p0Phx — Fars News Agency (@EnglishFars) January 16, 2016
Under the same swap deal, the US has also demanded the Interpol to stop prosecution of 14 other Iranian nationals. https://t.co/SXm6VtLN1N
— Fars News Agency (@EnglishFars) January 16, 2016
LU colleague J.E. Dyer notes in an emailed message:
The timing is designed to spike the guns of Iran “deal” critics. IAEA is about to give Obama the green light to lift sanctions.
As part of the lifting of sanctions, the U.S. will also unfreeze $100 billion in Iranian assets. Even a source as friendly to the administration as NPR notes there are troubling questions about what Iran will do with this cash windfall. The article quotes Mark Dubowitz, executive director of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies as saying:
We have no ability to constrain Iran if they want to spend all $100 billion on funding Hezbollah or other terrorist organizations. But when you’re getting a $100 billion-plus cash windfall, even if you’re spending 5 to 10 percent of that only on the regional activities and your support for terrorism, that’s an extra $5 to $10 billion dollars-plus.
