(09-24-2019 10:50 AM)Redwingtom Wrote: 1. It was their money.
2. It secured a nuclear agreement that was working.
3. It was their money.
4. There's no evidence any of that money was used for terrorist activities.
5. Iran wasn't broke and had ample funds to conduct any terrorist activities regardless of the money.
6. IT WAS THEIR MONEY!
1. Yes and no. It was legally seized in our banking system, which is a risk that one runs when using any banking system, particularly a foreign one.
2. No. It secured an "agreement" that had no legitimate prospects of working. How can we possibly know that it "was working"? When your inspectors can't be allowed into certain parts of the country, and can't hold surprise inspections, how can the inspections possibly guarantee or ensure anything?
3. See supra.
4. We are unable to trace the money, so there is in fact no evidence what it was or was not used for. We could have had a fairly effective check by releasing the money in tranches, say 10% per year for 10 years, contingent on good conduct by Iran. Terrorist activities funded by Iran, with or without these funds = no more money.
5. Again you are focusing on a tracing of funds that isn't possible. Maybe they had enough, maybe they didn't. But if getting the money were made contingent on not engaging in such activities, then we would have had much more leverage.
6. See supra.
In the end, it was appropriate to return the money at some point and under some circumstances. And a treaty that would have severely curtailed Iran's nuclear ambitions would have been worthwhile. To that end I would have supported the agreement if:
1) It established a rigorous inspection protocol that basically included go anywhere, at any time, with short or no notice;
2) It released the money in tranches, over a decade or longer, contingent on good behaviour by Iran; and
3) It had been ratified by the senate as a treaty (which I believe would have been possible with 1) and 2) included).
But 0 for 3 on those criteria pretty much make it a terrible agreement IMO.
Iran wanted its money back, and the continued ability to work on its nuclear program in clandestine fashion. Obama and Kerry wanted a piece of paper. Both sides got what they wanted.