5 Americans in a swap with Iran have been freed and arrived in Qatar

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In a first exchange of prisoners with Iran since 2016, the US has freed 5 Americans and they have arrived in our ally nation Qatar today.

The prisoners freed Monday were: Namazi, who was detained in 2015 and was later sentenced to 10 years in prison on spying charges; Emad Sharghi, a venture capitalist sentenced to 10 years; and Morad Tahbaz, a British-American conservationist of Iranian descent who was arrested in 2018 and also received a 10-year sentence. All of their charges have been widely criticized by their families, activists and the U.S. government.

U.S. officials have declined to identify the fourth and fifth prisoner.

The fourth and the fifth American prisoners have arrived through Doha and have been confirmed as free.

Eight long years in a third world prison, likely abused and tortured for a large part of that time. Imagine the feeling of leaving Iran, landing in Qatar and seeing Americans for the first time in almost a decade; imagine the feeling of knowing you have the rest of your life again.

$6 billion in frozen funds will be used in exchange for the American lives.

The cash represents money South Korea owed Iran — but had not yet paid — for oil purchased before the U.S. imposed sanctions on such transactions in 2019.

The U.S. maintains that, once in Qatar, the money will be held in restricted accounts and will only be able to be used for humanitarian goods, such as medicine and food. Those transactions are currently allowed under American sanctions targeting the Islamic Republic over its advancing nuclear program.

The money that was frozen in South Korea is set up in accounts in Qatar and will be released to Iran peacemeal, contingent upon it being used for education, food and medicine -- the very few things not covered by our sanctions on Iran. If one payment gets misused, the rest of the accounts get frozen again.

Not much else to say at a moment like this -- simply -- welcome home Americans, it's been too long!

a reply to: Mahogany

Glad they are free but what’s up with the anonymity on the last two?
Possibly a couple of real spies?

Probably the two biggest reasons for the trade to begin with.

originally posted by: Mahogany
$6 billion in frozen funds will be used in exchange for the American lives.!

... and subsequently be spent on terrorism around the world.

a reply to: FlyersFan

Yes.

Let’s get ahead of the incoming talking point that it will “only be used for humanitarian purposes”.

SO WHAT? It frees up their existing funds to use to terrorize the West.

a reply to: TheLieWeLive

Yep seems like it, they were spying alright, that is what happen when you get caught in foreign land for spying.

I guess no tax payer money will be lost as it is claim is all Iranian money

$1.2 billion a piece...

Who are these prisoners???

A note to all the readers who don't post or log in:

You should take the response to this thread a real measure of how many real Americans are on these forums and how many just say they are American.

the US has freed 5 Americans and they have arrived in our ally nation Qatar today.

I'm glad the US has freed some Americans, what about the rest in her jails?

a reply to: Mahogany

originally posted by: Dalamax
I'm glad the US has freed some Americans, what about the rest in her jails?

The rest in American jails or the rest in Iranian jails?
American jails are full of people who actually broke the law.
Iranian jails are another story.
Which jails are you referring to?

Iran's budget is $29 Billion: take-profit.org...

Removing the Sanctions freed up $6 Billion of frozen money...or 20% of their annual budget.

originally posted by: Mahogany
A note to all the readers who don't post or log in:

You should take the response to this thread a real measure of how many real Americans are on these forums and how many just say they are American.

Posters here like myself that aren’t American and don’t pretend to be have a vested interest in this issue.

Trudeau confirms Canadian military personnel were at airbase hit by Iranian missiles

www.cbc.ca...

Statement by the Prime Minister on the 1,000th day since the egregious downing of Flight PS752

www.pm.gc.ca...

Iranian dissident Mehdi Amin found murdered at his residence in Canada

english.alarabiya.net...

Six other Americans who had escaped the militants’ notice asked for the Canadian embassy’s help and got it instantly, with the full backing of Canadian Prime Minister Joe Clark and Foreign Affairs Minister Flora MacDonald. Two of the fugitives were sheltered by Taylor in the ambassador’s home; four hid in the residence of John Sheardown, the top Canadian immigration official in Iran, from whom the Americans had first sought help and who had replied, “Hell, yes. Of course. Count on us.”

www.britannica.com...


So ya, Iranian loose change is spent on facking with other countries.

originally posted by: Mahogany
A note to all the readers who don't post or log in:

You should take the response to this thread a real measure of how many real Americans are on these forums and how many just say they are American.

Spare me.



Loved all your threads about the hundreds of Americans abandoned in Afghanistan.

originally posted by: Mahogany
A note to all the readers who don't post or log in:

You should take the response to this thread a real measure of how many real Americans are on these forums and how many just say they are American.

Another note to all the readers who don't post or login.


Always consider the source....

Am I glad americans are free, yes was it a good trade probably not.

Iran has a history of targeting foreigners, and now they have been rewarded for it making it dangerous for other foreigners in the furture. Just like Russia with that idiot BB player, bad precedent has been set.

Oh my mistake. I read that as the US has released some of her prisoners and taken them to Qatar.

a reply to: FlyersFan

I think you may be a little biased with your favouring American jails over Iranian. I have no experience of either so your opinion is as good as any 🤷🏽‍♂️