Washington to Compensate American Embassy Hostages in Tehran

The United States will finally compensate 38 out of 52 diplomats who were taken hostage by students known as 'followers of the Imam' in Tehran on November 4, 1979, and were imprisoned for 444 days, using funds from a penalty imposed on a French bank for violating sanctions against Iran. In the U.S. federal budget for 2016, approved by Congress, $4.4 million has been allocated for each of these hostages and the survivors of 14 others who have passed away in previous years. Initially, the number of hostages during the early days of the Islamic Revolution in Iran exceeded 60, including diplomats and other American citizens, but it decreased to 52 after the release of non-diplomatic personnel and female staff at the embassy. According to former U.S. President Ronald Reagan, these hostages were subjected to various forms of torture, including staged executions. Tom Langford, a lawyer for the former American hostages, states that 'despite nearly four decades having passed since that bitter event, some hostages have still not escaped the nightmares of the past.' He adds that 'the deaths of some of these hostages were premature, and others continue to receive psychological treatment and are occasionally hospitalized for care.' The U.S. government had previously allocated a small compensation of $100 per day for the hostages in 1986, which was later reduced to $50 per day in annual budget discussions, a sum that the hostages reportedly refused to accept. In 1981, American individuals and entities received substantial compensations from the revolutionary Iranian government for the loss of their properties and assets, following a ruling by the Hague Court established to resolve financial disputes between the two governments, but the American hostages were barred from filing legal claims against the Islamic Republic based on the Tehran-Washington agreement. This year, proposals have emerged from some members of Congress to provide compensation to former hostages, suggesting that the funding for this compensation should come from penalties imposed on banks and organizations that violated unilateral U.S. sanctions against the Iranian government. According to a New York Times report, this compensation will be funded by a $9 billion penalty imposed on BNP Paribas in Paris for violating sanctions against Iran, Sudan, and Cuba. The report also states that $1 billion of the $9 billion penalty will be set aside for compensating victims of terrorism, but additional assets may potentially be considered for future claims. Furthermore, $2.8 billion of the French bank's penalty will be allocated to assist victims of the September 11 attacks. The $4.4 million compensation for each hostage or their survivors is expected to be paid next year, and they will have to pay heavy taxes on this compensation to the government. The former American hostages in Tehran are now in retirement.