US Republicans Had Urged Iran to Delay Prisoner Swap, Shamkhani Says

[4bucksagallon]

Source: tasnim news

TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Ali Shamkhani said a recent prisoner exchange between Iran and the US went ahead as planned despite calls by Republicans for a delay until US presidential elections.

“In the course of the talks for exchanging prisoners, the Republican rivals of the current US administration who claim to be humanitarians and advocates of human rights sent a message telling us not to release these people (American prisoners) and continue this process (of talks) until the eve of US presidential elections,” Shamkhani said Thursday in an address to a rally held in the central city of Yazd to mark the 37th anniversary of the 1979 Islamic Revolution’s victory.

“However” he said “we acted upon our independent resolve and moved the process forward.”



Read more: http://www.tasnimnews.com/en/news/2016/02/11/998130/us-republicans-had-urged-iran-to-delay-prisoner-swap-shamkhani-says

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Shocking? Not.....

[IronLionZion]

1. They should provide the names

and whatever evidence they have of this. They all said they want to be like Reagan. They wanted a repeat of 1980?

[elljay]

9. Exactly

Most people still don't know, or believe, that Reagan negotiated to keep the embassy hostages until after the election. The Iranians certainly would have tapes of any conversations or copies of any emails - they have quite a robust and advanced spy apparatus. If this is at all true, they should release the proof.

[Xyzse]

29. Thanks, I may just have to check on this.

[FlatBaroque]

13. Tom Cotton

[forest444]

2. A very familiar playbook for Rapepublicans.

[SoLeftIAmRight]

19. YES - that is what they do

easy to believe

nice post

[forest444]

20. Thanks, SoLeftIAmRight.

And of course no mention of GOP treason would be complete without Henry Kissinger, who famously sabotaged LBJ's Paris Peace talks by using his post in the U.S. negotiating team to sweet talk Hanoi into holding out.

Kissinger, btw, later appeared as guest commentator in the CBS Evening News 1980 election coverage, during which he predicted to Walter Cronkite the moment - almost to the minute - the hostages would eventually be released.

Machiavelli and Benedict Arnold rolled into one.

[gcomeau]

3. Keeping in mind the Iranians are not the most trustworthy sources...

...if that can be confirmed people should be heading for prison cells. That is highly illegal.

This would not be a case of political shenanigans. This would be a case of "welcome to federal prison for the rest of your life".

[yurbud]

11. as soon as he said they claimed to be humanitarian...

[CaliforniaPeggy]

4. This strikes me as supremely sleazy. That shouldn't be a surprise.

I guess I'm not completely jaded yet. My god.

I guess the Republicans will stoop to new depths in order to thwart the Democratic administration, no matter what the topic might be.

Goddamn.

[Thinkingabout]

5. The same thing happened in 1980, Reagan and bunch got the hostage release delayed to "show"

The world Reagan had scared Iran into releasing the hostages. The GOP works overtime to create scandals and this would have been another "show of force" created by the GOP.

[uhnope]

6. Did he say "America is Great Satan" before or after these remarks?

lol
I don't believe anything from the batshit crazy Iranian gov't. Let him name names if he wants to be taken seriously by anyone outside his fucked up medieval theocracy. The Republicans he refers to might as well be on his team

[Nihil]

28. And, bang on cue, we have uhnope defending the Republicans again ... what a surprise ...

... oh wait, no it's not - it's totally predictable ...

[uhnope]

32. that's a total lie. But you seem to be defending the gay-murdering misogynist gov't of Iran

Anyone who reads my post can see I compared the GOP to the Iranian gov't, so you're lying. Are you some kind of stalker?
WTFIWWY?

[Gman]

7. Today's GOP is beyond stupid

If they had any sense at all, they would have sent George HW Bush secretly to Paris with a promise to sell them arms in exchange for not releasing hostages before the election, then use the money from the sales... Wait! They already did that.

[vkkv]

8. Pure EVIL !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! _______________________n/t

[santafe52]

10. Who are they?

There has to be a way to find out which GOP snakes did this. Hopefully, they are up for re-election this year.

[mcar]

12. Sickening

[yourout]

14. IF true.....it should be a treason charge and jailtime.

[MynameisBlarney]

15. Is that not treason?

Seriously?

[MynameisBlarney]

16. And didn't reagan do the same thing?

During the Iran Hostage Crisis?

[scottie55]

17. Full On Investigation Time, Oh Wait, They're Republicans - Never Mind....

Republicans don't do crimes.

Just ask any one of them.

[blackspade]

18. If this is true....

They should be named and impeached.
Scumbags

[catnhatnh]

21. possibly illegal

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Logan_Act

[ozone_man]

22. Deja vu!

All over again.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

23. I have visions of Republicans waiting in line at the gallows.

[Herman4747]

24. Reagan, Reagan, Reagan!!

Republicans continue to be guided by The Gipper

[Sunlei]

25. JCPOA deal wouldn't have been done and who knows what would have happened by today.

especially with Syria invaded by Russia with-in the last 6 months.

[BillZBubb]

26. Until Iran names names, we cannot get much traction from this.

President Obama needs to get on the phone and ask Iran to provide documentation of what was said and by whom.

[Sunlei]

30. Here is the letter republicans sent in 3/2015 ” The letter was signed by every Senate Republican ex

” The letter was signed by every Senate Republican except Lamar Alexander and Bob Corker of Tennessee, Dan Coats of Indiana, Thad Cochran of Mississippi, Susan Collins of Maine, Jeff Flake of Arizona and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska." They must have sent other letters to try to bring on more war instead of peace.


http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/03/09/world/middleeast/document-the-letter-senate-republicans-addressed-to-the-leaders-of-iran.html?_r=0

[BillZBubb]

31. I am aware of that, but this is something entirely different.

This is telling Iran not to negotiate on prisoner releases, which is a far more serious issue.

[no_hypocrisy]

27. In effect, asking Iran to help elect

Republicans, who in turn will break Obama's treaty and will attack Iran. Pull my finger.

[Bucky]

33. kick

everyone should read this article, just so we can laugh next time a Republican sports a "Country First" button


Alternative theory: The Republicans played reverse psychology on the Iranians in order to get the prisoners sent home to America faster.

(Of course it's bullshit, but I expect to hear at least one someone from the Dark Side advance this theory)