OPINION:
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The Biden administration is transferring $6 billion in frozen Iranian assets in South Korea to an account in Qatar, which Iran will be able to access, in what appears to be an attempt to get Iran to release five imprisoned Americans.
National Security Communications Coordinator John Kirby offered a twisted explanation to Jake Tapper of CNN, saying that this is “not a ransom.”
Instead, Mr. Kirby claimed that the account containing the money is one “that has not been made accessible” to Iran, and the administration is simply “making that one account that has been in existence for several years more accessible to the Iranians.”
Mr. Kirby claimed that the money can be used only for “humanitarian purposes.”
Does anyone believe that the world’s No. 1 sponsor of terrorism will use this money, or the $400 million in cash previously sent to Iran by the Obama administration on a cargo plane the same day Iran released four American prisoners and formally implemented the nuclear deal, for humanitarian purposes?
Then, Republicans reacted by claiming that paying what they regarded as ransom for the release of the U.S. citizens “puts even more Americans at risk,” said then-Sen. Mark Kirk, Illinois Republican.
Sen. Tom Cotton, Arkansas Republican, echoed Mr. Kirk’s criticism, accusing then-President Barack Obama of paying “a $1.7 billion ransom to the ayatollahs for U.S. hostages.”
As with these and other payments dating back to the Carter administration, once the money has been received, there will be no way to retrieve it, no matter how the U.S. intends or wishes it to be used.
During the Reagan administration, when arms were given to Iran in exchange for U.S. hostages, Democrats and the media were highly critical of the deal. Now, under President Biden, it’s crickets.
The latest transfer of frozen Iranian assets back to Tehran comes at a time when its rulers are moving closer to testing a nuclear weapons device and “has sought to obtain illicit technology for its active weapons program,” the Jerusalem Post reports.
The unfrozen assets are likely to speed up the process, allowing the ayatollahs to reach their goal more quickly.
People should be reminded of the recent history of the Iranian regime because we have such short memories. The Endowment for Middle East Truth, a pro-Israel lobbying group based in Washington, has listed some of Iran’s most recent actions that we know about.
The regime “has attempted to kidnap former American officials on U.S. soil, such as (former) Ambassador John Bolton, (former) Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, (former) diplomat Brian Hook, as well as some courageous Iranian expatriates such as journalist and blogger Masih Alinejad.”
Beyond that, the lobbying group notes, the International Atomic Energy Administration reports that Iran has been enriching uranium at the 83.7% level, a far cry from the 3.67 level that Iran had vowed to in the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action of 2015, and is perilously close to the 90% of enrichment that is nuclear bomb capable.
It should not come as a surprise that Islamic radicals, believing they are doing the will of Allah, continue to advance their earthly agenda, which includes destroying Israel and attacking America.
Any agreement made with Iran is supposed to be reviewed by Congress. That agreement restricts the president from unilaterally waving sanctions on Iran for 30 days so that Congress can decide whether to accept or reject it.
That the administration is not doing so is a violation of law. Where are the howls from Congress and the media?
Not that long ago, the American “doctrine” was never to pay ransom to terrorists for the reason Mr. Kirk and others have said.
Calling the $6 billion headed for Iran something other than a ransom doesn’t change what it is.
• Readers may email Cal Thomas at tcaeditors@tribpub.com. Look for Cal Thomas’ latest book, “A Watchman in the Night: What I’ve Seen Over 50 Years Reporting on America” (HumanixBooks).
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