Lawyer for Shahab Deli and Jamshid Sharmad: Hostage-taking Should Not Be Accompanied by Financial Rewards

Jason Poblete, the lawyer for Shahab Deli, who is a permanent resident of the U.S. and imprisoned in Iran, criticized the current agreement for the release of American prisoners in Iran in an interview with the Persian section of Voice of America. Mr. Poblete, who also represents Jamshid Sharmad in the U.S., stated that hostage-taking should not be rewarded with financial incentives, as it is a dangerous precedent not only for the Islamic Republic but also for other rogue states. He described the agreement regarding American prisoners as a 'very bad deal,' adding, 'While we are very happy that everyone can get out of prison in Iran, this is not the right way to do it.' The defense attorney believes that 'the right way is for the agreement to include all American prisoners.' He identified the 'problem' as being that 'some in the U.S. government do not pay attention to the consequences of their actions' and expressed hope that 'an opportunity will arise for everyone to be freed, including Shahab Deli from Virginia, Jamshid Sharmad from California, and several others who are still in prison and need to be released.' Previously, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated that to his knowledge, there are currently no other Americans in Iranian prisons besides the five who were at the center of diplomatic negotiations. Jason Poblete said, 'That these five have been allowed to leave prison is good news for their families, but the release of six billion dollars is another matter.' This defense attorney called for this amount not to be given to the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic but to be allocated to a fund for victims of terrorism, adding, 'Then why are we imposing sanctions? Sanctions are supposed to prevent the transfer of money. By doing this, sanctions become a weak tool in holding Tehran accountable.' Mr. Poblete emphasized that 'no agreement should be signed with Iran until all hostages and individuals in captivity are freed.' He described the current policy regarding the release of American citizens as a 'wrong precedent' and added, 'The process of seeking the freedom of Americans from prison and their return home must change. This is not just a problem for the current government in the U.S.; previous administrations also faced this issue, and they all took different approaches.' The defense attorney for Mr. Deli and Mr. Sharmad believes that 'what should be prioritized is the unconditional release of all these individuals' and said, 'At the very least, we should move in this direction. Perhaps it cannot be implemented, but there should at least be a strategy that every wrongfully detained or kidnapped person should be released without any conditions.' He added, 'The current agreement, if it can really be called an agreement, is not only far from this main goal but also rewards such behavior, and this reward goes to the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic and his agents who engage in hostage-taking.' Jason Poblete stressed that 'there is no benefit in giving six billion dollars of blocked funds to the mullahs.' Additionally, Secretary Blinken stated that Iran's financial resources would only be used for 'humanitarian purposes' in 'limited and aligned' accounts with 'existing sanctions exemptions' and for 'non-sanctioned items.' Antony Blinken also emphasized the U.S. government's 'unwavering commitment' to maintaining and enforcing sanctions against the Islamic Republic. At the same time, he noted that the release of 'dual-national prisoners' could potentially contribute to 'broader diplomatic negotiations.' Mr. Poblete, in part of his remarks regarding the outcome of the Washington-Tehran agreement, said, 'Consider what other dangerous countries in the world that are witnessing this will do. What about Russia? What about Cuba, Venezuela, North Korea, and Ecuador? We have had cases of American prisoners in Ecuador who were unjustly detained.' This defense attorney stated that 'this wrongful behavior towards Iran serves as a template for other countries' and urged the U.S. government to reconsider its focus in this matter and prioritize the safety of Americans. He reiterated the need for the release of all those who have been taken, including those still in Evin or other prisons in Iran, adding, 'If we do not do this, they (the Iranian government) will continue their game.' Jason Poblete, referring to the release of his former clients, such as Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe and Xiyu Wang from prison in Iran, said, 'The precedent that such actions leave is very bad. This is even worse than the agreement that the Obama administration made because at least in that case, a number of people were released together. But now they say this is the first step, and it is good that they have come out of prison and gone to house arrest or a hotel.' The defense attorney for Mr. Deli and Mr. Sharmad added that 'this is not a way to exchange with a dangerous regime. Under the Trump administration, I was involved with two hostages in Iran. One was Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe and the other was Xiyu Wang. The main focus was on their release without the release of blocked funds or any maneuver to divert such requests from Tehran. But what is being done now is the opposite of that approach.' During the Trump administration, although no money was paid for American hostages, a prisoner exchange took place. Masoud Soleimani was exchanged for the release of Xiyu Wang, and Sirous Asgari was exchanged for the release of Michael White. Mr. Poblete noted that 'we have returned to a time when we encouraged terrorism and hostage-taking,' stating, 'We know we should not do this. We know exactly what the IRGC will do. We know exactly what the Iranian intelligence apparatus will do. They will detain and imprison more people. They will start all over again to profit from this.' He described this behavior as 'inhumane' towards detained Americans and their families, adding, 'We should not say one day that this is about Iran's nuclear activities or this one is about human rights.' This defense attorney regarding Shahab Deli, who was said to possibly be released but was not mentioned, said, 'Shahab Deli has been stuck much longer than I thought, and many others like Jamshid Sharmad are also there that we are working on. If this continues as they say now and the complete freedom of these five has not yet occurred, it should be stopped right now, and efforts should be made to get everyone out of Iran together.' He added, 'I know it is not easy for families who have gained their imprisoned loved ones to hear this, but what about the families who still do not have their loved ones with them? How is it that specific choices are made among all these cases?' Jason Poblete described the current U.S. government's approach as 'playing with human lives' and added, 'I don't like to say this, but this is exactly what they are doing.' This defense attorney, referring to the Levinson Hostage Act, stated that the reason for the passage of this law was to prevent such actions and added, 'Shahab Deli and Jamshid Sharmad must return home; all American citizens in captivity must be freed, and until they are released, no money should be given to the mullahs, nor should any agreement be signed.' He emphasized that 'if the six billion dollars has not yet been released, it should not be released, and the U.S. Congress should raise its voice and stop it and seek another way to free imprisoned Americans.'