senate Bill S. Con. Res. 16
Calling for the Release of U.S. Citizens Imprisoned in Iran
Argument in favor
The U.S. must be assertive in negotiating the release of its citizens when they have been wrongfully detained overseas — passing this resolution would show the intent of the U.S. government to accomplish that.
12/17/2015
“If I win the presidency, I guarantee you that those four prisoners are back in our country before I ever take office. I guarantee that.” [breitbart.com]
05/13/2015
It seems to me that one of the principal missions of a government is to watch out for the welfare and security of its citizens. The US must condition any further normalization with Iran upon the release of our citizens unjustly held by their government. I see nothing wrong in letting them know how we feel. I support this resolution.
05/25/2015
"Amir has been imprisoned in Iran on false espionage charges for over 3 years. His family has borne the pain of his absence for too long. Iran must immediately release Amir so he can be reunited with his family as soon as possible."
Argument opposed
It seems unlikely that Iran will release these prisoners simply because Congress passed a resolution. They are going to play hardball, look for other concessions, and using prisoners in the nuclear talks could kill negotiations.
06/04/2015
Making this a larger political issue won't help the situation. Getting these people out will require back channels, or special ops... This is just for grandstanding by some politicians who want to derail nuclear negotiations.
06/05/2015
Absolutely not. If you're dumb enough to have found yourself in Iran, you deserve a long term prison sentence. Hello? It's fucking Iran
“If I win the presidency, I guarantee you that those four prisoners are back in our country before I ever take office. I guarantee that.” [breitbart.com]
Let's not kill nuclear negotiations under the guise of patriotism
Making this a larger political issue won't help the situation. Getting these people out will require back channels, or special ops... This is just for grandstanding by some politicians who want to derail nuclear negotiations.
It seems to me that one of the principal missions of a government is to watch out for the welfare and security of its citizens. The US must condition any further normalization with Iran upon the release of our citizens unjustly held by their government. I see nothing wrong in letting them know how we feel. I support this resolution.
"Amir has been imprisoned in Iran on false espionage charges for over 3 years. His family has borne the pain of his absence for too long. Iran must immediately release Amir so he can be reunited with his family as soon as possible."
All current/future negotiations with Iran should hinge on their attitude to recognize and abide by elements of Human Rights.
Don't negotiate. Go there and take them by force and anyone stupid enough to get in the way slaughter them. Then while they are distracted with the prison rescue assassinate their terrorist president.
Our fellows Americans need to be back home with their friends and families.
Our government has a duty to ensure that American citizens aren't forced to endure punishment at the hands of another nation, especially if they're innocent.
Absolutely not. If you're dumb enough to have found yourself in Iran, you deserve a long term prison sentence. Hello? It's fucking Iran
We are a Democratic Republic, we need a consensus backing our foreign policy. This is a good start in further diplomatic relations.
We have responsibility to protect our citizens not use them as a bargaining chip.
The nuclear deal was a complete loss for the U.S. and its allies in the region! Why does Iran, a state-sponsor of terrorism no less, get all the say? As a nation, we do not negotiate with terrorists. It's our way or they can continue to have sanctions. I'm all for this.
Should be a no brainer. Should have been the first thing out of the Secretary of States mouth as a pre-requisite for any favorable negotiations.
Stop negotiating and working with oppressive regimes. Not only Iran but also Saudi Arabia. Hypocrites
The safety of American citizens should always be the first priority. The initial purpose of government, after all, is to protect the people.
These people need to be released to see their families. I don't care how it is done. It needs to be done. Thank you.
The United States needs to let Iran and the rest of the world know not to mess with us. We meet to assert our (former) world dominance and also work to bring our fellow Americans out of harms way. We can't just leave them trapped their without any effort to rescue them.
this bill may have no effect on the behavior any US or Iranian citizen or any government anywhere in the world. It is however a pointed statement about the priorities of the government of the United States of America and as such has value