The Iranian people’s “blood” is on President Joe Biden’s hands, and his administration is responsible for “financing terrorism,” according to Republican Rep. Claudia Tenney of New York, who accused the president of paying “ransom” after the Iranian regime transferred five Iranian-Americans from prison to house arrest in exchange for billions in unfrozen assets.
The Biden administration on Thursday struck a deal with Iran to unfreeze $6 billion in Iranian financial assets, and release a “handful” of Iranian nationals jailed for violating U.S. sanctions, in exchange for five Americans who were taken prisoner by Iran on highly dubious charges of espionage.
Brittney Griner, the former WNBA star whom Russia released in turn for Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, is an “inspiration” to “LGBTQI+ Americans,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said.
A Russian court sentenced American basketball player Brittney Griner to nine and a half years in prison on drug charges Thursday morning, renewing rumors that the Biden administration might trade Russian gun-running supervillain Viktor Bout – and perhaps even other high-value prisoners demanded by Moscow – in exchange for Griner’s freedom.
The United States freed Russian Konstantin Yaroshenko, who was serving a 20-year prison sentence for conspiracy to smuggle cocaine into the United States, as part of the deal to free U.S. Marine Trevor Reed, who was sentenced in 2019 to nine years in prison after Russia accused him of assaulting a police officer after a night of drinking.
Fazal Hadi Muslimyar, the head of the Afghan Senate, said during a parliamentary address on Tuesday that many of the Taliban prisoners freed as part of the “peace process” have already returned to the battlefield.
Afghanistan’s President Ashraf Ghani on Sunday issued a statement that he will respond to a ceasefire “gesture of goodwill” from the Taliban by expediting the release of 2,000 Taliban prisoners.
TEL AVIV – Jason Greenblatt, President Donald Trump’s special representative to the Middle East, returned to Israel Sunday night for the second time in a month, a White House official said.
TEL AVIV – Amid Arabic-language reports that Israel and Gaza-based terror group Hamas are heading toward another prisoner swap deal, Education Minister Naftali Bennett on Sunday called on the government not to release “live terrorists” for the bodies of dead soldiers.
TEL AVIV – Hamas confirmed Wednesday that the terror group received an offer for a prisoner exchange deal from Israel, but rejected it for not meeting its “minimum demands.”
JERUSALEM – A spokesperson for Hamas said the terror group “is saving” something that “will surprise the world” during future prisoner exchanges with Israel.
None of the Iranians freed as part of a prisoner exchange deal with the Obama Administration last week actually left the country, U.S. officials told ABC News.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry claims that 28 Iranians were released or had charges against them dropped as part of an exchange deal with the U.S. that saw five American hostages freed from the regime’s grip. Iran’s claim conflicts with earlier reports that only 21 Iranians were part of the exchange deal.
