The 2015 nuclear deal with Iran, which the US has once again joined, is likely not to pass if US prisoners are not released. Though U.S. Special Envoy for Iran Robert Malley, has said like he said before that the release of the prisoners is not related to the deal, it is a prerequisite for the agreement to move forward into further negotiations. Malley told Reuters through an interview that “They’re separate and we’re pursuing both of them.” Throughout the years, Iranian forces have arrested a number of foreign nationals, mostly on charges of espionage and other charges that are related to security matters. Iran has been accused of trykng to gain diplomatic levergae by taking these prisoners but Tehran denies that.
I believe that the US should connect the two. Innocent, that we know of, civilians are being held hostage and the Biden administration should be doing all that it can to make sure that the prisoners get home. With at least 4 US citizens who were arrested on bogus or manipulated charges it would make sense if the US connected the two deals. Even if the prosoners are out of jail they are still prohibited from leaving the country. The nuclear deal is very important and should be finalized, but bringing home the wrongfully imprisoned people is more important when comes to my point of view.
This connects to the class because of the United States foriegn policy and dealings with Iran. The deal that is one of the United States’s main foriegn policies has been in the work for almost 7 years. It is also in the United States national intrest to get the hostages back. It shows to the world if the United States gets both the Nuclear Deal done and the prisoners back to not mess with US foreign nationals in another country. It can also help the Biden administrations approval ratings, hopefully, by showing that administration can follow through on promises that they ran on.