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Wait–We Paid Iran $1.7 Billion To Release Four Detained Americans, Not $400 Million?

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volsrock

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So, it turns out that we paid Iran four times the amount originally reported to secure the release of four detained Americans. We all know that $400 million was given to the Iranians received only after our citizens were “wheels up” on their way out of the country. Now, John Solomon at Circa News reported today that we forked over $1.7 billion,

Wait–We Paid Iran $1.7 Billion To Release Four Detained Americans, Not $400 Million? - Matt Vespa


Unbelievable. 1.7 billion given to a terror state. Just think how much good this could have done for Americans.
 
Re: Wait–We Paid Iran $1.7 Billion To Release Four Detained Americans, Not $400 Milli

Good grief.

We did not pay to release any hostages. Period.

When the Shah was still in charge of Iran, he bought a bunch of planes from the US. After the payment, but before delivery, he was overthrown and 54 Americans were taken hostage. The US, which had supported the Shah, refused to deliver the plane, and Iran demanded its money back.

The US has dragged its heels, intentionally, while the case worked its way through an array of international courts. However, it was increasingly clear that the US was going to lose, in which case we'd be on the hook possibly for up to $10 billion.

The US government settled for $1.7 billion. This was basically an opportunity made possible by the other negotiations. It was also $8.3 billion less than Iran might have gotten from the court in the Hague.

There was no "hostage payment." The US actually waited until the hostages were freed before starting the process of paying the settlement. That is the EXACT OPPOSITE of what happens when you pay a ransom. When you pay a ransom, you pay your own money before the hostage is freed. In this case, we returned their money after the hostages were freed.

By the way, none of this is f***ing news. The settlement, including the total amount, was discussed publicly in January. So please, spare us the false poutrage.
 
Re: Wait–We Paid Iran $1.7 Billion To Release Four Detained Americans, Not $400 Milli

Visbek said:
Good grief.

We did not pay to release any hostages. Period.

When the Shah was still in charge of Iran, he bought a bunch of planes from the US. After the payment, but before delivery, he was overthrown and 54 Americans were taken hostage. The US, which had supported the Shah, refused to deliver the plane, and Iran demanded its money back.

The US has dragged its heels, intentionally, while the case worked its way through an array of international courts. However, it was increasingly clear that the US was going to lose, in which case we'd be on the hook possibly for up to $10 billion.

The US government settled for $1.7 billion. This was basically an opportunity made possible by the other negotiations. It was also $8.3 billion less than Iran might have gotten from the court in the Hague.

There was no "hostage payment." The US actually waited until the hostages were freed before starting the process of paying the settlement. That is the EXACT OPPOSITE of what happens when you pay a ransom. When you pay a ransom, you pay your own money before the hostage is freed. In this case, we returned their money after the hostages were freed.

By the way, none of this is f***ing news. The settlement, including the total amount, was discussed publicly in January. So please, spare us the false poutrage.
Click to expand...

Can you take us through how you derive the $10 billion figure?
 
Re: Wait–We Paid Iran $1.7 Billion To Release Four Detained Americans, Not $400 Milli

volsrock said:
So, it turns out that we paid Iran four times the amount originally reported to secure the release of four detained Americans. We all know that $400 million was given to the Iranians received only after our citizens were “wheels up” on their way out of the country. Now, John Solomon at Circa News reported today that we forked over $1.7 billion,

Wait–We Paid Iran $1.7 Billion To Release Four Detained Americans, Not $400 Million? - Matt Vespa


Unbelievable. 1.7 billion given to a terror state. Just think how much good this could have done for Americans.
Click to expand...
It was legally their money.

What do suppose we should do?
 
Re: Wait–We Paid Iran $1.7 Billion To Release Four Detained Americans, Not $400 Milli

Chomsky said:
It was legally their money.

What do suppose we should do?
Click to expand...

In the words of The Governor:
"Kill them all!"

(Sarcasm)
 
Re: Wait–We Paid Iran $1.7 Billion To Release Four Detained Americans, Not $400 Milli

washunut said:
Can you take us through how you derive the $10 billion figure?
Click to expand...

I'd guess penalties and interest.

If you gave someone $400M for some products in 1979, how pissed would you be if they just took your money and gave you no products ??
 
Re: Wait–We Paid Iran $1.7 Billion To Release Four Detained Americans, Not $400 Milli

We should have treated Iran like we treated Cuba. No money, no commerce, no nothing...until they join the rest of the world.

Oh...wait...if we had done that Obama STILL would have paid them the money, he would have undone everything...and they STILL wouldn't have joined the rest of the world. Just like he did with Cuba.

Oh, well...
 
Re: Wait–We Paid Iran $1.7 Billion To Release Four Detained Americans, Not $400 Milli

Visbek said:
Good grief.

We did not pay to release any hostages. Period.

When the Shah was still in charge of Iran, he bought a bunch of planes from the US. After the payment, but before delivery, he was overthrown and 54 Americans were taken hostage. The US, which had supported the Shah, refused to deliver the plane, and Iran demanded its money back.

The US has dragged its heels, intentionally, while the case worked its way through an array of international courts. However, it was increasingly clear that the US was going to lose, in which case we'd be on the hook possibly for up to $10 billion.

The US government settled for $1.7 billion. This was basically an opportunity made possible by the other negotiations. It was also $8.3 billion less than Iran might have gotten from the court in the Hague.

There was no "hostage payment." The US actually waited until the hostages were freed before starting the process of paying the settlement. That is the EXACT OPPOSITE of what happens when you pay a ransom. When you pay a ransom, you pay your own money before the hostage is freed. In this case, we returned their money after the hostages were freed.

By the way, none of this is f***ing news. The settlement, including the total amount, was discussed publicly in January. So please, spare us the false poutrage.
Click to expand...

OK so now we have heard two stories.

First we heard that the original amount of 1.7B was negotiated down to 400M which was paid in cash.

The other story we heard was that Iran was owed 1.7B and now that was paid.

Is it from the same owed amount or what is actually going on here?
 
Mason66 said:
OK so now we have heard two stories.

First we heard that the original amount of 1.7B was negotiated down to 400M which was paid in cash.

The other story we heard was that Iran was owed 1.7B and now that was paid.

Is it from the same owed amount or what is actually going on here?
Click to expand...

No it's always been just one story.

We were given $400M. We did not provide the goods purchased by that $400M.

Several decades later, international courts were leaning toward that sum (debt + interest + penalties) growing to $10B. We settled for a sum of $1.7B.

The $400M we sent after the hostages were released was simply the first payment.

The story never changed. My advice is to save yourself the embarrassment by either understanding the details or neglecting to jump to wild, partisan conclusions.
 
Re: Wait–We Paid Iran $1.7 Billion To Release Four Detained Americans, Not $400 Milli

Absentglare said:
I'd guess penalties and interest.

If you gave someone $400M for some products in 1979, how pissed would you be if they just took your money and gave you no products ??
Click to expand...

Interest rates are around zero for the last decade. Again how do you go from X to $10 billion. They were owed their money back, not penalties.
 
Re: Wait–We Paid Iran $1.7 Billion To Release Four Detained Americans, Not $400 Milli

washunut said:
Can you take us through how you derive the $10 billion figure?
Click to expand...
It's the amount Iran was demanding as repayment, which included inflation and interest.
 
Re: Wait–We Paid Iran $1.7 Billion To Release Four Detained Americans, Not $400 Milli

washunut said:
Interest rates are around zero for the last decade. Again how do you go from X to $10 billion. They were owed their money back, not penalties.
Click to expand...
Based on inflation alone, $400 million in 1979 is $1.3 billion today.

What you fail to realize is that interest rates have not always been low -- in fact, they were very high in the early 1980s, as Volcker tried to tamp down inflation.

If you had put $400 million into a normal savings account in 1980, it would be worth $16 billion by 2013.

Historical Returns Investing Calculator | Bankrate.com
 
Re: Wait–We Paid Iran $1.7 Billion To Release Four Detained Americans, Not $400 Milli

Visbek said:
Based on inflation alone, $400 million in 1979 is $1.3 billion today.

What you fail to realize is that interest rates have not always been low -- in fact, they were very high in the early 1980s, as Volcker tried to tamp down inflation.

If you had put $400 million into a normal savings account in 1980, it would be worth $16 billion by 2013.

Historical Returns Investing Calculator | Bankrate.com
Click to expand...
There is zero reason why American taxpayers should be paying interest to the Iranians. If anything, that $400 million should have gone to the hostages that were held there for 444 days. We owe them nothing and should have paid them nothing. The fact that they got one cent is an insult.
 
Re: Wait–We Paid Iran $1.7 Billion To Release Four Detained Americans, Not $400 Milli

Visbek said:
Based on inflation alone, $400 million in 1979 is $1.3 billion today.

What you fail to realize is that interest rates have not always been low -- in fact, they were very high in the early 1980s, as Volcker tried to tamp down inflation.

If you had put $400 million into a normal savings account in 1980, it would be worth $16 billion by 2013.

Historical Returns Investing Calculator | Bankrate.com
Click to expand...

Who do you know that pays inflation on monies owed?

If the IRS owed you $10,000 on the books for 20 years and you just got around to collecting it, it would be the same $10,000.

Things should be no different with Iran.

Interest and penalties are only paid if they are contractually owed or they were ordered to be paid by a court. It is not an automatic thing that they are paid.
 
Re: Wait–We Paid Iran $1.7 Billion To Release Four Detained Americans, Not $400 Milli

We should have kept the money and called it a fine for harassing our warships.
 
Re: Wait–We Paid Iran $1.7 Billion To Release Four Detained Americans, Not $400 Milli

Fletch said:
There is zero reason why American taxpayers should be paying interest to the Iranians. If anything, that $400 million should have gone to the hostages that were held there for 444 days. We owe them nothing and should have paid them nothing. The fact that they got one cent is an insult.
Click to expand...

Other Americans are owed monies from Iran as well. That should have been paid first.
 
Re: Wait–We Paid Iran $1.7 Billion To Release Four Detained Americans, Not $400 Milli

Mason66 said:
Other Americans are owed monies from Iran as well. That should have been paid first.
Click to expand...

Well they need the $$$ to finish their nuclear warhead project.
 
Re: Wait–We Paid Iran $1.7 Billion To Release Four Detained Americans, Not $400 Milli

Fletch said:
There is zero reason why American taxpayers should be paying interest to the Iranians. If anything, that $400 million should have gone to the hostages that were held there for 444 days. We owe them nothing and should have paid them nothing. The fact that they got one cent is an insult.
Click to expand...
Sorry not sorry, but that is not how international law works.

This case has been winding its way through international courts for decades, and it was not going our way. And no, the United States cannot demand that Iran pay $400 million because they took some hostages. If that's how it worked, then Syria could seize US assets on the basis that we bombed them and damaged their nation.
 
Re: Wait–We Paid Iran $1.7 Billion To Release Four Detained Americans, Not $400 Milli

Mason66 said:
Who do you know that pays inflation on monies owed?
Click to expand...
Pretty much.... everyone. To be precise, inflation is typically built into the interest payments.


If the IRS owed you $10,000 on the books for 20 years and you just got around to collecting it, it would be the same $10,000.
Click to expand...
lol... Not quite

If the IRS owes you a refund, and you don't bother to claim it? They don't owe you interest.

If a business takes your money and refuses to provide the contracted goods? And stalls for 10 20, 30 years? Heck yeah you can demand interest.
 
Re: Wait–We Paid Iran $1.7 Billion To Release Four Detained Americans, Not $400 Milli

Visbek said:
Sorry not sorry, but that is not how international law works.

This case has been winding its way through international courts for decades, and it was not going our way. And no, the United States cannot demand that Iran pay $400 million because they took some hostages.
Click to expand...
Why not? Why can we not demand reparations for damages Iran did to us in these vaunted 'international courts?'
If that's how it worked, then Syria could seize US assets on the basis that we bombed them and damaged their nation.
Click to expand...
Syria could seize US assets now. I doubt the fear of some world court keeps them from doing it :roll:
 
Re: Wait–We Paid Iran $1.7 Billion To Release Four Detained Americans, Not $400 Milli

Visbek said:
Good grief.

We did not pay to release any hostages. Period.

When the Shah was still in charge of Iran, he bought a bunch of planes from the US. After the payment, but before delivery, he was overthrown and 54 Americans were taken hostage. The US, which had supported the Shah, refused to deliver the plane, and Iran demanded its money back.

The US has dragged its heels, intentionally, while the case worked its way through an array of international courts. However, it was increasingly clear that the US was going to lose, in which case we'd be on the hook possibly for up to $10 billion.

The US government settled for $1.7 billion. This was basically an opportunity made possible by the other negotiations. It was also $8.3 billion less than Iran might have gotten from the court in the Hague.

There was no "hostage payment." The US actually waited until the hostages were freed before starting the process of paying the settlement. That is the EXACT OPPOSITE of what happens when you pay a ransom. When you pay a ransom, you pay your own money before the hostage is freed. In this case, we returned their money after the hostages were freed.

By the way, none of this is f***ing news. The settlement, including the total amount, was discussed publicly in January. So please, spare us the false poutrage.
Click to expand...


Thanks.



It usually is best to skip the OP in this kind of thread and read through posts #2-5 or thereabouts.
 
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