Trump warns of 'serious consequences' unless Iran releases detained Americans - White House

[rooster59]

Trump warns of 'serious consequences' unless Iran releases detained Americans - White House

 

Robert Levinson, a former FBI agent and DEA agent, who disappeared in Iran since 2007, is shown in this undated handout photo released by the Levinson family. REUTERS/Levinson family/Handout via Reuters

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump warned that Iran would face "new and serious consequences" unless all unjustly detained American citizens are released and returned, the White House said in a statement on Friday.

 

Trump urged Iran to return Robert Levinson, an American former law enforcement officer who disappeared more than 10 years ago in Iran, and demanded that Tehran release businessman Siamak Namazi and his father, Baquer.

 

The statement capped a week of rhetoric against Tehran. On Tuesday, Washington slapped new economic sanctions against Iran over its ballistic missile programme and said Tehran's "malign activities" in the Middle East undercut any "positive contributions" coming from the 2015 nuclear accord.

 

Those measures signalled that the Trump administration was seeking to put more pressure on Iran while keeping in place an agreement between Tehran and six world powers to curb its nuclear programme in return for lifting international oil and financial sanctions.

 

Friday's statement said Trump and his administration were "redoubling efforts" to bring back all Americans unjustly detained abroad.

 

An Iranian court sentenced 46-year-old Siamak Namazi and his 80-year-old father Baquer Namazi to 10 years in prison each on charges of spying and cooperating with the United States.

 

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps detained Siamak in October 2015 while he was visiting family in Tehran, relatives said.

 

The IRGC arrested the father, a former Iranian provincial governor and former UNICEF official in February last year, family members said.

 

Levinson, a former FBI agent and DEA agent, disappeared in Iran in 2007 and the U.S. government has a $5 million reward for information leading to Levinson's safe return.

 

An Iranian court sentenced Xiyue Wang, a Chinese-born U.S. citizen graduate student from Princeton University, to 10 years in jail on spying charges, Iran's judiciary spokesman said on Sunday.

 

"Iran is responsible for the care and wellbeing of every United States citizen in its custody," the White House statement said.

 

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2017-07-22

[YetAnother]

1 hour ago, rooster59 said:

"Iran is responsible for the care and wellbeing of every United States citizen in its custody," the White House statement said.

what does that mean ? care and well-being in jail ?

[tonray]

I don't think Levinson is held by Iranians, he was in the Middle East for god knows what reason but the photo would seem to indicate an Al Qaeda connection. Likely snached him as he was working undercover.

 

I think the others are valid cases to pursue likely held without merit.

[wombat]

yes, he will ask old mate Vlad to go get em, end of problem.

 

[soalbundy]

What the same consequences that NK is still waiting for ? You have lost all credibility Donald.

[Rancid]

Back on the Iran sanctions bandwagon again eh? But is it really the US that has actual issues with Iran or another country?

 

So are we getting a new and better "axis of evil" in Russia, Iran and China? If so this one maybe pushing the military capability a little bit too far, maybe need a new massive military expenditure program...to keep everyone safe of course. Better keep an eye on new Hollywood releases to see which way foreign policy is moving.

[lamecn]

During WWII my father was in the resistance against the Nazi occupation, receiving and hiding weapons parachuted in by the Allied forces. Had the Germans won the war, he would have been executed as a terrorist, now the Allied forces won the war and he was a hero!

[Krataiboy]

What hypocrisy from the deranged moron running a country where anyone regarded as a threat to "national security" -  including US citizens - can be lawfully held indefinitely without charge or trial and tortured until they confess to doing whatever they are accused of.

 

And what about the hundreds of innocent civilians - including Americans - blown to smithereens in drone strikes on overseas targets since the US launched its phony "war on terror" in pursuit of its quest for total world domination?

 

The biggest threat to world peace - as anyone who has even a superficial knowledge of recent world history should know - are not the Iranians, the North Koreans, Russians or Chinese, but the psychopathic warmongers the One Per Cent put in the White House.

[puck2]

2 hours ago, soalbundy said:

What the same consequences that NK is still waiting for ? You have lost all credibility Donald.

Did you say he lost credibility?

He never has had any.

 

A typical Trump-bubble.

Maybe, somebody will talk with him about not having reasonable chances of success when starting a war in the ME. And about the fabricated chaos thereafter.

 

 

Edited July 22, 2017 by puck2

[Baerboxer]

11 hours ago, lamecn said:

During WWII my father was in the resistance against the Nazi occupation, receiving and hiding weapons parachuted in by the Allied forces. Had the Germans won the war, he would have been executed as a terrorist, now the Allied forces won the war and he was a hero!

 

Er, right, thanks for sharing that.

 

 

[tryasimight]

On ‎22‎/‎07‎/‎2017 at 3:20 PM, Krataiboy said:

What hypocrisy from the deranged moron running a country where anyone regarded as a threat to "national security" -  including US citizens - can be lawfully held indefinitely without charge or trial and tortured until they confess to doing whatever they are accused of.

 

And what about the hundreds of innocent civilians - including Americans - blown to smithereens in drone strikes on overseas targets since the US launched its phony "war on terror" in pursuit of its quest for total world domination?

 

The biggest threat to world peace - as anyone who has even a superficial knowledge of recent world history should know - are not the Iranians, the North Koreans, Russians or Chinese, but the psychopathic warmongers the One Per Cent put in the White House.

Oh dear.

[anon4546543]

On 7/22/2017 at 11:13 AM, lamecn said:

During WWII my father was in the resistance against the Nazi occupation, receiving and hiding weapons parachuted in by the Allied forces. Had the Germans won the war, he would have been executed as a terrorist, now the Allied forces won the war and he was a hero!

Slightly different set of circumstances old chap. Most of the world was at war back then.  Back then your father could have been shot for being a combatant without wearing a uniform, a spy or any other reason not covered by Geneva conventions.  It is not the same as the situation now for persons acting against the state that they are apprehended in.  Spies, foreign agitators, criminals and true terrorists have little sympathy from the conventions

.

It was up to the appropriate US departments a long time ago to make a deal if they wanted to for these risk takers.  They did not. Who of us knows why they chose to risk take, believing themselves to be immune.  Today, you make your own choices. You can visit Chechnia, East Ukraine, Syria, Iran, Zimbabwe and a whole lot more.  At your own risk. Why should the taxpayer be made to compensate for some silly persons stupidity.    

[Jim1000]

Seems he's had a bad week and time to move on to something else .................