The Iran hostages should have been home a long time ago!

Several Republican presidential candidates criticized the Obama administration's decision to swap seven Iranian prisoners for The Washington Post's reporter Jason Rezaian and three other Americans on Saturday and I think they were right in doing so. We are all happy to have the hostages released, but I do not think negotiating with a terrorist country was the way to go about it. Their release should have been unconditional because they were not guilty of any international crime.

Our hostages were released from Iranian custody in exchange for seven Iranians who were in prison for crimes they committed and it does not matter to me if their crimes were violent or not. This exchange further proves that Iran is no friend to the U.S. or its allies and Iran continues to get the upper hand in negotiations with the Obama Administration. Obama should not have been in negotiation with Iran to get a nuclear deal while Iran held innocent American hostages.

It is not true that the hostage release had nothing to do with the private nuclear deal because Iran warned Obama in December if additional sanctions were enforced against Iran the hostage swap was off and the nuclear deal was in trouble. Obama immediately from his vacation in Hawaii began the process to delay any announcement of further sanction against Iran. 

Even Hillary Clinton believes the Obama administration should not have thanked Iran for releasing the prisoners (hostages) or for following through on its obligations. Hillary said, “These prisoners (hostages) were held unjustly by a regime that continues to threaten the peace and security of the Middle East.”

The other two Democrat candidates, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders and former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley said, “The exchange represented progress in relations between Washington and Tehran.” I guess if you call U.S. weakness progress then we have made great advances during the Obama administration.

Even though I am now a Republican I do not think it is fair for Republican candidates to give all or any credit to President Reagan for the release of American hostages when he was sworn in as President of the United States. I think Iran had tired of the issue and President Carter’s administration had laid all the groundwork for the release of the hostages. I will never believe Iran released the 52 hostages because they feared Reagan being elected. I do not think Iran was even fully aware of who Reagan was or what he stood for at the time. Iran then and now released the hostages because they thought it was in their best interest to do so and fear had nothing to do with it. Iran contacted President Carter in September of 1980 with a proposal to release the hostages. I rather think Iran thought they could deal with the next administration better if they changed the tone of the hostage situation.  

Then as now Iran was given money to release the hostages. The agreement that led to the release involved $11 billion to $12 billion ($36 billion in 2015) in Iranian assets that Carter had frozen 10 days after the seizure of the U.S. embassy. The Iranians did fear having to start negotiations over with a new administration and believed that they had gotten most of the benefits they could from holding the hostages. I think the same is true today $150 billion dollars (the exact amount is disputed) in their hands is better than possibly getting nothing if a Republican is elected President. I do not think Iran has any intention of keeping the Obama nuclear deal. The release of hostages military and civilian was all about money and insulting the United States.  

I hope not, but I believe Iran will take more U.S. hostages in the near future. Hostages for Iran are like money in the bank – a bargaining chip for getting more concessions from the U.S. and the West. Let us not kid ourselves Iran releases hostages when it is in their best interest and only when it is in their best interest. When they have gotten all the propaganda mileage and concessions they think they can out of a hostage they grow tired of them and release them, but always take another hostage to start the negotiating process all over again.

The only way Iran or any rogue nation will come to the negotiation table and negotiate fairly is by force. The only force they understand is military force. You have to remove their ability to threaten other nations and keep them from ever having the ability to do so in the future. I think Germany and Japan are examples of that. If Japan or Germany would have been allowed to rebuild their military capabilities soon after the war they would have engaged in future nation building conflicts. National pride at any cost is still prominent among some people in both countries, a foolish pride, that is similar to the racist pride among some groups in America.

Obama announced Sunday following the hostages leaving Iran he will allow eleven companies to remain sanctioned from doing business with Iran and the response from Iran on Monday for his doing so should bring him comfort.  On Monday, Iran’s foreign ministry responded that the, “Islamic Republic will respond to these aggravating and propagandistic measures (11 companies sanctioned) by pursuing its missile program stronger than ever before.” Obama did not keep his word not to add additional missile sanctions, in other words he lied to Iran, so how can we now complain about Iran not keeping their word to honor the private nuclear deal.

I must have missed something during the nearly last eight years because Obama said Sunday when speaking of the hostage release, “These things are a reminder of what we can achieve when we lead with strength and with wisdom, with courage and resolve and patience.” I have seen little strength, wisdom, courage or resolve coming from Washington in a long time. I guess I have seen a lot of patience because when you are weak you have no choice but be patient. Obama’s ‘red line’ remark to Syria’s President did not show much resolve or courage when he failed to follow through with his threat. His withdrawal of troops against the advice of his own military advisors did not demonstrate much wisdom in Iraq and Afghanistan. His bowing to the Saudi king showed weakness from the very start of his administration.

If the United States cannot stand up to Iran a country only slightly larger than Alaska how could it stand up to China? The failure of the U.S. to stand up to Iran for the past 37 years has been a failure on the part of both Democrat and Republican politicians. They must take the blame for the monster they created. 

Obama and Kerry insist that the private accord with Iran provides no room for its ruling clerics to cheat. I hope they are right! But if Obama lied to Iran about sanctions how do we know he is not lying to us about how secure we are. If they are wrong the world will certainly suffer.