obama paying ransom
- Thread starter TopSecretBoiler
- Start date
At best, this is a bad optic with the US appearing on the surface to prostrate itself to Iran in order to secure the release of Americans. And Iran has arrested three more dual-citizens since the payments were made.
That said, these payments were coming eventually anyway, either as settlement or as loss of the Hague case. In the strictest sense, this was not a ransom, but the payment was constructed and construed by Iran as ransom, which is a foolish thing for State and the Administration to let happen.
That said, these payments were coming eventually anyway, either as settlement or as loss of the Hague case. In the strictest sense, this was not a ransom, but the payment was constructed and construed by Iran as ransom, which is a foolish thing for State and the Administration to let happen.
not just that it was a payment, but it was cash, non us dollars. Let's guess what this will used for...
That was a US legal requirement. We have laws forbidding payment to Iran in USD, regardless of reason. Had we lost the Hague case, we would've paid $10B in foreign currency.
I'm sorry but that's a joke. These buffoons have no claim to Pahlavi's deals. We don't owe the ayatollah a god damn penny. This is what happens when we have tit heads in leadership positions. If I were Trump I would talk about this endlessly in the debate.
"The Hague" has no authority and no power of enforcement...I'd think a South China Sea expert would know that?
Whose law? Why aren't we in Crimea protecting the Ukraine? Kicking China out of the SCS? WHAT A JOKE you globalists are.
From the Hill, 19 Jan 2016:
"In addition to the implementation of the international nuclear accord and a prisoner swap to secure the release of five Americans, the Obama administration also sent Iran $1.7 billion that it had been owed for decades.
Roughly $400 million had been sitting in “an escrow account” since the Iranian revolution in 1979, Earnest said on Tuesday.
On Sunday, the U.S. paid that money back, as well as $1.3 billion in interest."
"In addition to the implementation of the international nuclear accord and a prisoner swap to secure the release of five Americans, the Obama administration also sent Iran $1.7 billion that it had been owed for decades.
Roughly $400 million had been sitting in “an escrow account” since the Iranian revolution in 1979, Earnest said on Tuesday.
On Sunday, the U.S. paid that money back, as well as $1.3 billion in interest."
You're right. The UN is the enforcement arm/authority. So I guess we should just start disregarding Hague judgments and give the finger to the UN when they wonder why, just like Russia and China do."The Hague" has no authority and no power of enforcement...I'd think a South China Sea expert would know that?
Ultimately it comes down to military action in enforcement. The US is enforcing (albeit relatively weakly right now) ILOS down in the South China Sea, and China itself is unable/unwilling at this point to enforce its false claim to EEZ rights in the SCS other than harassment by its fishing fleet or the occasional frigate's aggressive driving. No one really gives a shit that they're building stuff on sandbars. It's about the economic implications they're trying to force people to recognize, and right now they can't/won't enforce those. The next step for them, if they really want to disregard international law, is to declare an Air Defense Zone over the SCS as they did with some other small islands west of Japan, but they recognize that if they do that in the SCS, the US is going to willingly and openly violate it, which would force them to (1) shoot down US aircraft contrary to international law (an act of war); or (2) capitulate to the fact that they can't actually legally make that claim. In ten years, when they feel like they can win the shooting war, maybe they'll do that. But they're not in a position to do so right now, and they know it.
So your cute little attempt at humor is once again factually incorrect, and you're just ignorant and should stop referring to anything with respect to the SCS because I'm really getting tired of wasting my energy publicly embarrassing you about it.
Now, I hope you aren't espousing that the US start summarily disregarding international law as it sees fit as Russia, China, and North Korea tend to, are you?
“President Obama’s…payment to Iran in January, which we now know will fund Iran’s military expansion, is an appalling example of executive branch governance,” said Sen.James Lankford (R., Okla.), who co-wrote the bill. “Subsidizing Iran’s military is perhaps the worst use of taxpayer dollars ever by an American president.”
http://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-sent-cash-to-iran-as-americans-were-freed-1470181874
http://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-sent-cash-to-iran-as-americans-were-freed-1470181874
You really think we should ever give any amount of money to a terror state? I don't.
it was their money.
We gave it back to them as part of the nuke deal that so far has not resulted in them making any more progress in getting a nuke.
It was their money back in the 70s. Now that they're a terror state, they should forfeit every dime of it.
And if the UN wants Iran to be paid, they can take it out of the billions we send them every year.
If international law dictates that we repay a debt, then yes. We cannot enforce standards we choose not to live up to ourselves. That would be called "hypocrisy".
You know, even though I tend to give Obama the benefit of the doubt on a lot of these things, this makes a lot of sense.
If actions have consequences, why wouldn't the US be able to say, "There is hard evidence that Iran has supported terrorism, therefore we are going to withhold these funds - or, better, give them to the victims of terrorism?"
So in your mind, there's nothing a nation-state can do to void their legal standing? No matter how many terrorists are harbored? No matter how many American hostages are taken? They have taken 3 more since the ransom was paid, by the way. Go figure. Wonder how much we'll pay for them...
Ransom is Ransom! And promotes more arrests/kidnappings, etc. it's unbelievable how far our country has fallen.
So we paid them the $400 million plus $1.3 billion in interest? Did the US government actually earn interest on that $400 million during that time? Really!
WHAT WHAT WHAT? What was factually incorrect? I want you to quote what was factually incorrect. China has ignored the hague ruling. Do you want the link? Here! Get educated! https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/2165478-phl-prc-china-note-verbale.html
Otherwise you're just a douchebag.
I know right, next thing you know we are going to give Iran arms for Contras or something!
Thanks Obama!
No kidding. And the US is also ignoring the Chinese declaration, as is Australia. China also can't back up its illegal claim. Perhaps read the paragraph where I already explained this.
The Hague made the ruling based on Iran's international standing, so if the US wishes the world to go by rule of international law, it must also do so, rather than acting as a rogue nation and just doing what we see fit as China does.
if The Hague thinks the world's #1 state sponsor of terrorism should have legal standing, its rulings SHOULD be ignored.
Iran? Not Saudi Arabia? Our ally? That we give billions in weapons to? That we buy oil from?
Interesting take.
So you don't think Saudi Arabia sponsors terrorism?
(Cuz they ain't on the list).
So are Obama and Kerry lying or are they just incompetent? Or both?
And even if they are lying and/or incompetent, and Iran is the worlds #2 state sponsor of terrorism, you think we should hand over billions of dollars to them because some European dufus says we should?
I think this country has a blind spot for what Saudi Arabia does and has had said blind spot for about 30 years. A blind spot that spans Presidents and politicians of both parties.
And yes that includes Obama, Kerry, Clinton, Bush, etc etc.
This thread is about Obama paying a ransom to Iran.
I'll ask again: if Iran is the worlds #1 (or #2 if your boy Kerry is incompetent) state sponsor of terrorism, you think we should hand over billions of dollars to them because some European dufus says we should?
You didn't actually say anything other than China ignored the Hague ruling on the SCS. And yes, the US can also do that, if it chooses to act like China and essentially abdicate any position of authority/responsibility in the world order. You wanna make that trade?
But keep barking up these trees where you're in over your head. No one said zippointshit about the SCS until you brought it up, sport.
Then the US should also pull out of the UN for its continued recognition of Iran.
My POINT was that globalist ruling doesn't work. I brought up the SCS because it's DIRECTLY related to the hague globalist rulings that are basically completely non binding and only as relevant as an army makes them. Now you're the punk who said I was factually incorrect and won't apologize or show me where I was so wrong so bark up that tree skipper. You wanna throw bullshit around, especially at me personally, be prepared to be called on it.
