The New Iranian Hostage Crisis

[ScottL]

The New Iranian Hostage Crisis - Eli Lake
http://www.bloombergview.com/articles/2015-06-02/the-new-iranian-hostage-crisis

When the family of Amir Hekmati, an Iranian-American Marine, learned he was taken prisoner in 2011, the State Department told them to keep quiet. Family members were told Amir would be in greater danger if they went to the media than if they remained discreet.

That silence now looks like a mistake. In testimony Tuesday before Congress, Sarah Hekmati, Amir's sister, said, "Our family learned later that our silence allowed Amir to suffer the worst torture imaginable." The Marine's torture was both physical and psychological. Amir's feet were beaten with cables. His kidneys were shocked with a Taser. He was drugged by his interrogators, who then forced him to suffer through withdrawal.

Other prisoners have not had even this much contact. Robert Levinson, a former FBI agent, has not been heard from since he was captured in 2007, according to testimony Tuesday from his son, Daniel Levinson. Ali Rezaian, the brother of Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian, said he last spoke to his brother in July, before Jason was arrested. Naghmeh Abedini has not been able to talk to her husband, the Christian pastor Saeed Abedini.

John Kerry is not offering to trade more favorable concessions to Iran in exchange for promises to release Rezaian, Hekmati, Abedini or Levinson. But U.S. diplomats have raised their cases on the sidelines of these talks with Iranian officials.

 

[russ1945]

All I can say is Bergdahl my ass.

 

[superbeets]

Obama's buddy Iran just continue on their path of humiliating America.

 

[The Guesser]

Maybe not at the speed we'd all like, but credit where credit is due. http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-...the-prisoners-the-u-s-and-iran-are-exchanging

 

[flashmo]

if you call bending over and taking it up the ass diplomacy, yeah, then it works

 

[SheriffJoe]

The Guesser: OMG! Did you hear? Our awesome GM landed Peyton Manning as our QB! Finally a franchise hall of famer we can build around! Isn't that awesome???

But he's old and practically retired.

The Guesser: Dude! The is a coup! This is Peyton-fucking-Manning we're talking about!

Ok. So what did we give up for him?

The Guesser: Uhh, well... 4 first round picks, our best defensive lineman, our starting QB and two of our best prospects. But c'mon...still a great deal, right?? I mean, it's Peyton-fucking-Manning! Hello Super Bowl!

face)(*^%

 

[superbeets]

3 Americans kidnapped Baghdad.


Earl to speculate but indications are kidnapped by Iranian backed Shia Militia.


If it is true, then Iran must have given the nod.

 

[Dave007inVegas]

if you call bending over and taking it up the ass diplomacy, yeah, then it works

Well keep in mind, some people like it the ass.

 

[ScottL]

3 Americans kidnapped Baghdad.


Earl to speculate but indications are kidnapped by Iranian backed Shia Militia.


If it is true, then Iran must have given the nod.

As of 1 hour ago.....


Yahoo News

Baghdad (AFP) - Search operations were under way Monday for three Americans kidnapped from a "suspicious apartment" in Baghdad, in a rare abduction of Western nationals in the Iraqi capital.

Kidnappers in Iraq have recently seized groups of Qataris and Turks, but it has been years since Americans were abducted, with Iraqis suffering the most from kidnappings for ransoms or to settle scores.

The Islamic State group, which overran large areas in 2014, has abducted thousands of people in Iraq, while Shiite paramilitary forces opposed to the jihadists have also carried out kidnappings.

"Three people carrying American nationality were kidnapped while they were in Dura... inside a suspicious apartment," a spokesman for the Baghdad security command said in a statement.

"Security forces have begun searching for them," he said.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the abductions and the identities and employment of the victims were unclear.

A police colonel said on condition of anonymity that an Iraqi translator took the Americans for "drinking and women" at an apartment in the Dura area.

Militiamen "attacked the place", the colonel said, adding that "they were kidnapped from inside the apartment, not from the street."

They were apparently taken to another area, as Dura was searched and they were not found, the officer said.

He said that the translator was also kidnapped.

Brothels and alcohol shops have been repeatedly targeted by powerful Shiite militia groups in Baghdad over the years.

Iraqi parliament speaker Salim al-Juburi condemned the rise in "cases of foreigners being kidnapped in Iraq," saying it would harm the country's relations with other states.

"The kidnapping of the American citizens yesterday, and before them the Qatari hunters, whose fate is still unknown, without a doubt indicates the increasing work of organised gangs in Iraq," Juburi said in a statement.

US State Department spokesman John Kirby said Sunday that the US was "working with the full cooperation of the Iraqi authorities to locate and recover the individuals."

Both Juburi and the police colonel said the kidnappings took place Sunday, but some reports indicated they happened earlier.

Iraq turned to paramilitary forces dominated by Iran-backed Shiite militias in 2014 to help combat IS jihadists.

These groups, which fall under an umbrella organisation known as the Hashed al-Shaabi, or Popular Mobilisation units, have played a key role in the fight against IS.

But they and their affiliates have also been accused of abuses including summary executions, kidnappings and destruction of property.

The US is leading a coalition of countries that have bombed thousands of IS targets in Iraq and Syria and which are providing training to Baghdad's forces.

Washington has also dispatched special forces to Iraq to carry out raids against the jihadists.

Both American forces and Shiite paramilitaries are battling IS, but relations between the two sides have been tense, especially due to fighting between them in the years after the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq.

IS also has ample motive to target Americans, but while it is able to carry out bombings in Baghdad, it does not have a major presence in the city.

Dozens of foreign nationals have been kidnapped in two incidents during the past five months.

Last month, gunmen kidnapped more than two dozen Qataris who had come to southern Iraq to hunt.

Their whereabouts are still unknown, as are the identities of their kidnappers. But Shiite militia groups have a major presence in southern Iraq, while IS does not.

The kidnapping of the Qataris came a little over three months after gunmen seized 18 Turks in Baghdad. They were later released unharmed.

The kidnapping of the Turks was claimed by an organisation that presented itself as a Shiite group called "Furaq al-Mawt", or "Death Squads", in a video claiming the abductions.

Iraqi security forces clashed with fighters from the powerful Ketaeb Hezbollah militia during the search for the kidnapped Turks.

It has been years since an American was kidnapped in Iraq.

Issa T. Salomi, an American of Iraqi origins, went missing in Baghdad in January 2010 and was later freed by Asaib Ahl al-Haq, a powerful Shiite group that is now one of the leading forces in the Hashed al-Shaabi.

 

[The Guesser]

The Guesser: OMG! Did you hear? Our awesome GM landed Peyton Manning as our QB! Finally a franchise hall of famer we can build around! Isn't that awesome???

But he's old and practically retired.

The Guesser: Dude! The is a coup! This is Peyton-fucking-Manning we're talking about!

Ok. So what did we give up for him?

The Guesser: Uhh, well... 4 first round picks, our best defensive lineman, our starting QB and two of our best prospects. But c'mon...still a great deal, right?? I mean, it's Peyton-fucking-Manning! Hello Super Bowl!

face)(*^%

Since you're a fruit who says scores with the losing number 1st, like non sports fans do, I'm surprised you know who Peyton Manning is, other than the guy in commercials. Why did I knowingly predict that the sick cult down here would now be against the freedom of those held in Iran, because "we gave up too much", because again it kills their narrative. Sick, sick disgusting, vile creatures.

 

[ScottL]

Peyton Manning in commercials

♬♬"Guesser thinks Iran is cool"♬♬

 

[The Guesser]

♬♬"Guesser thinks Iran is cool"♬♬

Funny. Of course patently untrue, but funny.

 

[SheriffJoe]

Funny. Of course patently untrue, but funny.

100% true.

So is this:

♬♬"Guesser licks Obama's ass"♬♬

 

[ScottL]

Iran's Revolutionary Guards to Gain Regional, Economic Power in Post-Sanctions Era - Parisa Hafezi
Iran's Revolutionary Guards did well under international sanctions, and they are destined to become still richer now that the sanctions been lifted. One senior Iranian security official signaled financing would grow for the Guards and its overseas arm, the Qods force. Another senior official said, "It is very clear that our leaders will not hesitate to allocate more funds to the IRGC when needed."
One Western diplomat estimated last year that business activities controlled by the Guards had an annual turnover of $10-12 billion. The Guards are involved in a wide range of industries, including energy, tourism, auto production, telecommunications and construction. The Guards were also rewarded with major contracts after suppressing pro-reform protests in 2009. The Guards' construction branch, Khatam Al-Anbia, won a $1.2 billion contract to build a line on the Tehran metro. (Reuters)

 

[ScottL]

GOP explodes in anger as feds create Iran carve-out for visas

By Julian Hattem - 01/21/16 03:23 PM EST
Furious Republicans assailed the Obama administration Thursday for making changes to a visa entry program for foreign tourists that they characterized as illegal.


The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on Thursday announced changes to the easy-entry visa waiver program, which allows citizens from 38 countries — including Australia, France and Japan — to enter the United States without a visa.


The DHS said its new policy will not prohibit people from the 38 countries from entering the U.S. if they have recently traveled to or are dual citizens of Iran, Iraq, Sudan and Syria, which are considered hotbeds of terrorism.

Instead, those people — who otherwise would have been eligible to participate in the visa waiver program — will have to obtain a visa through the State Department.


However, the administration is also creating a carve-out solely for Iran, with visa waivers handed out on “a case-by-case basis” to people who have traveled there for "legitimate business-related purposes" following adoption of the nuclear deal last year.


Some journalists, diplomats and aid workers traveling to and from the four countries would also receive waivers, the DHS said.


Republicans blasted the announcement, saying President Obama is abusing a minor provision in the law to create a series of loopholes aimed at placating Iran.


“The Obama administration is blatantly breaking the law, a law the president himself signed,” House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-Texas) and Rep. Candice Miller (R-Mich.) — the author of the underlying bill — said in a joint statement on Thursday.


“President Obama is again putting his relationship with Iran’s supreme leader over the security of Americans,” they added. “He cannot rewrite the law to appease foreign governments — he should instead pay attention to his own.”


The visa waiver law passed last year was intended to close what both parties have described as a dangerous loophole that could allow European nationals involved with the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) to come to the United States.


The legislation passed by Congress retained the option for the Obama administration to waive the visa requirement if someone’s travel was “in the law enforcement or national security interests of the United States.”


Secretary of State John Kerry caused a stir last month when he suggested the visa waivers would be used to help encourage businesses to enter Iran, following implementation of the landmark international nuclear accord this month.


Iran had previously characterized the new visa waiver measures as an unfair attack on its ability to do business with the rest of the world.


McCaul and Miller on Thursday said extra measures for Iran were discussed and "explicitly rejected" during negotiations over the visa waiver bill with the administration.


Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.), the head of the House Judiciary Committee, on Thursday said the administration has decided to “abuse” the waivers “in the face of reason and congressional intent.”


“The Obama Administration is essentially rewriting the law by blowing wide open a small window of discretion that Congress gave it for law enforcement and national security reasons,” he said in a statement. “In fact, the categories of people that the Obama Administration is exempting from the law were expressly rejected by Congress.”


In December, Goodlatte, McCaul, Miller and other key Republicans told Kerry and Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson that they were “deeply concerned” that the “narrowly intended” waiver will be “ignored” to smooth the path for Iran.


“This letter serves to dispel any notion that the congressional intent would allow the waiver authority to be used for business travelers,” they wrote.


White House spokesman Josh Earnest on Thursday said the measures were intended to balance security and economic interests.


“We want to make sure that we are doing everything to keep the country safe,” Earnest said. “But we also don’t want to unnecessarily disadvantage American business that are trying to do business overseas.”


Concerns about Europeans with ties to ISIS spiked in November, following the terrorist attacks in Paris that killed 130 people.

 

[Knightrofins]

The New Iranian Hostage Crisis - Eli Lake
http://www.bloombergview.com/articles/2015-06-02/the-new-iranian-hostage-crisis

When the family of Amir Hekmati, an Iranian-American Marine, learned he was taken prisoner in 2011, the State Department told them to keep quiet. Family members were told Amir would be in greater danger if they went to the media than if they remained discreet.

That silence now looks like a mistake. In testimony Tuesday before Congress, Sarah Hekmati, Amir's sister, said, "Our family learned later that our silence allowed Amir to suffer the worst torture imaginable." The Marine's torture was both physical and psychological. Amir's feet were beaten with cables. His kidneys were shocked with a Taser. He was drugged by his interrogators, who then forced him to suffer through withdrawal.

Other prisoners have not had even this much contact. Robert Levinson, a former FBI agent, has not been heard from since he was captured in 2007, according to testimony Tuesday from his son, Daniel Levinson. Ali Rezaian, the brother of Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian, said he last spoke to his brother in July, before Jason was arrested. Naghmeh Abedini has not been able to talk to her husband, the Christian pastor Saeed Abedini.

John Kerry is not offering to trade more favorable concessions to Iran in exchange for promises to release Rezaian, Hekmati, Abedini or Levinson. But U.S. diplomats have raised their cases on the sidelines of these talks with Iranian officials.

What about Bob???