Payam Javan: The Biden administration has approved a deal to transfer $6 billion in funds to Iran in exchange for the release of five Americans being held captive in the country.
The deal also calls for the release of five Iranian citizens from U.S. prisons.
The announcement of the deal came on the 22nd anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, and drew immediate criticism from Republicans, who accused the administration of paying ransom to a state sponsor of terrorism.
Former President Donald Trump called the deal “a disgrace” and said it would “lead to kidnapping, ransom, and blackmail against Americans across the globe.”
Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa argued that the money would go to fund Iran’s radical Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
The Obama administration also paid Iran $400 million in cash in 2016 in exchange for the release of four American hostages.
The Biden administration has denied that the latest deal is a ransom payment, but critics say it is clear that Iran is using the release of hostages as a bargaining chip.
The deal also raises questions about the Biden administration’s commitment to fighting terrorism, given that Iran is a state sponsor of terrorism.