The Biden administration has once again shown its questionable judgment, finalizing a deal that involves transferring a staggering $6 billion in frozen Iranian assets from South Korea to Qatar in exchange for the release of five Americans currently imprisoned in Iran. While the administration touts this as a humanitarian triumph, critics argue that it amounts to nothing short of a ransom payment, effectively emboldening Iran, a notorious sponsor of state terrorism.
BREAKING: Biden to allow transfer of $6 billion to Iran in prisoner swap deal
There's a slap in America's face on the 9-11 anniversary.🤬
https://t.co/ppathLmvoc— Mark Nantz (@BullseyeBanjo) September 12, 2023
This controversial deal has far-reaching implications that transcend party lines. Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated, “To facilitate their release, the United States has committed to release five Iranian nationals currently held in the United States and to permit the transfer of approximately $6 billion in restricted Iranian funds.” While it might appear on the surface to be a straightforward prisoner exchange, the underlying implications are deeply unsettling.
One glaring issue is the timing of this deal. It was confirmed on the solemn anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, a day when the nation pauses to remember the victims of terrorism. Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR) aptly pointed out the irony, stating, “First Joe Biden used 9/11 as an excuse to flee Afghanistan. Now he desecrates this day by paying ransom to the world’s worst state sponsor of terrorism. Shameful.”
The world just got even more dangerous by another pathetic, weak US foreign policy decision. Rather than giving Iran 6 Billion, I would give em a 6 days. Take another hostage and you get 6 hours. We just made Iran's terrorist regime stronger! Free their people!Know your opponent! https://t.co/NSvK8CxXTp
— Bruce Pearl (@coachbrucepearl) September 12, 2023
The enormous sum of money being transferred has raised significant concerns that it could indirectly finance terrorism. Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) expressed his dismay, saying, “It’s ridiculous for the US to be blackmailed into paying $6 billion for hostages, which will indirectly finance the number 1 foreign policy of Iran: terrorism.” The staggering increase from a similar but smaller 2016 deal, which saw the US transfer $1.7 billion, leaves us questioning what might come next.
Even Auburn University’s men’s basketball coach, Bruce Pearl, weighed in on this contentious matter. Taking to social media, he called it “another pathetic, weak US foreign policy decision” and continued, “We just made Iran’s terrorist regime stronger! Free their people! Know your opponent!”
However, Democrats seem to view this deal through a different lens. Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT) remarked, “Good for President Biden. Continuing Trump’s failed Iran policy makes no sense. These detainees deserve to be home.” Nevertheless, the immediate relief of having the detainees back must be weighed against the long-term consequences of potentially fortifying an adversarial nation that is, as US policy unequivocally states, a state sponsor of terrorism.
Curiously, the transferred funds will not be sent directly to Iran but will be held in “restricted accounts in Qatar, where the funds will be available only for humanitarian trade.” Critics argue that money is fungible; funds freed up in one area can allow a regime to use its other resources more freely, possibly for activities less than humanitarian.
In the end, the Biden administration’s recent deal with Iran may offer a temporary solution but runs the risk of emboldening a regime that opposes many American values. As the US unlocks its coffers and releases prisoners, it’s only reasonable to ask what message this sends not only to Iran but also to other nations that might consider using American citizens as bargaining chips in the future.
