Background Press Call by Senior Administration Officials on the Return of American Detainees from Iran | The White House

Contributing sentiments towards policy:

57% : But, as of right now, and right now is before daybreak in Iran, we do believe we're on track.
55% : Since the Americans have -- our American citizens have been on house arrest, the Swiss and our Swiss Ambassador, our protecting power in Iran has had access to them, including today.
55% : Now, of course, there are Americans detained around the world in various countries whose cases are considered by the U.S. Department of State under the 11-factor test set out in the Levinson Act and, based on the information available, don't receive that designation.
55% : And we are very pleased that all those Americans in Iran fall into that latter category -- which is a subset and will always be a subset of global cases of Americans held -- will be home, assuming this all goes forward.
54% : The funds there have been legally available for non-sanctionable trade, including under the last administration.
54% : I will say, we -- look, diplomacy is one of our tools that we use in dealing with a very complex challenge like Iran.
54% : And when we saw an opportunity in which the -- the arrangements that we had always said would be what we would need to move forward, when Iran agreed to that, we -- we did decide to move forward.
54% : This was also true, in case it's helpful, in previous arrangements to secure the release of Americans from Iran -- that those in the other direction, so to speak, had differing statuses here.
53% : Thank you all for joining us on this call on a Sunday evening to talk about Iran.
52% : Just by contrast, in early 2021, when our administration entered office, our personnel were under regular and ongoing attack by these Iranian-backed groups, and we have taken action to counter that and deter that.
52% : It is legally available to Iran for humanitarian transactions in South Korea before we did this deal.
51% : We anticipate that two of the Iranians who do not have legal status in the U.S. will return to Iran again through Doha, Qatar.
51% : I've mentioned there are no meetings envisioned over the coming week with Iran.
51% : And so, we remain in very close touch through the Swiss to ensure that the house arrest conditions, as had been agreed, are -- Iran is living up to them.
50% : The key facts: These are funds that were legally available for non-sanctionable trade in South Korea and will be available for a similarly restricted category of humanitarian-only trade in Qatar.
50% : So, we are very clear, there's just no basis for any American passport holder to travel to Iran.
50% : And we look forward -- we tremendously look forward, especially all of us working on these issues for so many years and have gotten to know the families, to welcoming our fellow citizens back, once again, on their home soil -- with the caveat I put up on top that until our Americans are out of Iran, this is not over, but we are hopeful at this moment that this will be over by this time tomorrow.
49% : So, could you explain why it was important for Iran to get the money moved to Qatar?
49% : And I don't know if you've responded to this, but the IAEA announced just this weekend that Iran has (inaudible) been certified for reentry (inaudible) the key inspectors who are most familiar with the nuclear program (inaudible).
48% : This call is to give you a heads up that we anticipate, as of this moment, that the consular deal with Iran will be fully implemented tomorrow morning.
48% : At bottom, these are Iranian funds -- payments made by South Korea to Iran for purchases of oil years ago, including during the last administration -- moving from one restricted account in Korea to another restricted account in Qatar.
48% : Assuming all goes as -- as we anticipate and hope tomorrow, we -- we can proudly add five more names to a long list of Americans whose release we have secured, truly from around the world: from Russia, from Venezuela, West Africa, from Rwanda, from Burma, from Afghanistan, from Haiti, from Iran previously, and from other countries we have deliberately not named out of sensitivities.
48% : "Now, that executive order itself draws on the 2020 Robert Levinson Hostage Recovery and Hostage-Taking Accountability Act, which, as the name of that law itself suggests, is a credit, a testament to the perseverance of the Levinson family and of others who have turned just unbelievable family hardship and tragedy into constructive and meaningful action to prevent other families, other Americans from enduring what they've endured.
48% : And if this all goes well -- and it looks like it is -- is there any thinking within the Biden administration to use this moment to explore resuming the indirect talks with Iran to see if a deal can be struck in the future, may that be JCPOA or in any other way?
48% : In terms of what we discuss with Iran, obviously, as I said, we are open to diplomacy on the nuclear side.
48% : Second, what message does this send to Iran or others, including Russia that -- although, you know, returning American hostages who are wrongfully detained is top priority for any administration, what message does this send to those countries that, you know, regardless of the case, that in some way, shape, or form, the U.S. could -- whether this time around the money is not Iranian previously, it might have been -- sorry -- it was not U.S. money -- previously, it might have been.
48% : But I will just say, you know, there are, regrettably, many, many Americans detained around the world, and all of them are entitled to certain things that the U.S. Department of State works very hard to provide to them: consular access, representation in the relevant legal system, a chance at whatever passes for due process in those legal systems.
47% : So, here's what we anticipate the events to unfold over the next 24 hours: As early as 5:00 a.m. Eastern time -- so, it's about nine hours or so from now -- seven Americans will board a Qatari plane and leave Iran for Doha, Qatar.
47% : This also applies to the Biden's administration's policy on travel to Iran.
47% : So, in that sense, do you expect to hold any indirect talks with them this week, in the coming months about Tehran restricting its nuclear program?
47% : And second, since you referred to the IAEA (inaudible) and on the withdrawal of the inspectors or the inspectors who wouldn't receive permission to enter Iran, can you give us an assessment of how that impedes your ability to understand what they're producing?
46% : But I want to caution, as [moderator] just did, that, as with really anything we do with a country like Iran, this process remains extremely complex, fragile, and could still hit unanticipated hurdles.
46% : Third, do you think that the timing of this has anything to do with Raisi coming to the United Nations?
45% : What I'll do is I'll walk through what we expect to unfold and some of the broader context behind this deal and also just our larger policy with Iran, and then I'll turn it over to senior official number two.
45% : No funds enter Iran ever, nor do any funds get paid to Iranian companies or entities.
44% : And both have been previously unable to leave Iran.
44% : For dual citizens, Iran does not recognize dual citizenship.
44% : And very lastly, what is your response to Iran's decision to bar key IAEA inspectors from Iran?
44% : Of course, what's happening is that Iran sought to interdict tankers as we enforce our own sanctions and DOJ does what it does to enforce U.S. laws and seize illicit oil on tankers overseas.
44% : It is not legally unavailable to Iran.
43% : Importantly, this deal does not change our relationship with Iran in any way.
43% : We are open to humanitarian trade, which does not violate U.S. sanctions, with no money going to Iran, et cetera -- everything I just laid out.
42% : These are the second set of act sanctions, I believe, to be issued under the Levinson Act; they will not be the last.
42% : Those actors in Iran, like others against whom we have used this sanctions authority and against whom we will use it going forward, have tried to use Americans for political leverage or to seek concessions from the United States, fundamentally treating human beings as -- as pawns, as bargaining chips.
42% : [Senior administration official], you mentioned that two of the Iranian prisoners are returning to Iran.
41% : The Levinson family deserves answers, and we will continue to take action under the Levinson Act to impose costs on Iran.
41% : Or do you believe that this is a tactic that Iran will continue?
41% : No money going to Iran, no money going to Iranian entities, et cetera -- everything I just said in the beginning.
40% : This channel is designed explicitly, again, to guard against money laundering, misuse of Asian and U.S. sanctions, and, as I stated, no money ever goes to Iran.
40% : Needless to say, the United States will never allow Iran to acquire nuclear weapon, a policy we deliver on through diplomacy or other means, if necessary.
40% : Tomorrow, we will announce a second set of sanctions under that very executive order against an entity and an individual in Iran previously or currently holding hostage or wrongfully detaining Americans.
39% : A couple of other issues: As part of our action tomorrow, we are also issuing new sanctions under the Levinson Act, both against the Ministry of Intelligence and against Iran's former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for their actions.
39% : To be blunt, no American should travel to Iran for any reason.
39% : But we lead the charge -- just for some examples -- to have Iran removed from the U.N. Commission on the Status of Women.
39% : That is why this administration, for example, has introduced a "D" -- for wrongful detention -- indicator and applied it to the travel advisories for six countries, including Iran.
39% : And finally, what is next on your list of what you'd like to talk to about Iran specifically, whether it's within the nuclear program or other regional issues of what its proxies are doing?SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:
39% : And if you could explain how it's going to be monitored -- monitored by Qatar, given all of the Republican criticism that (inaudible) that money will now be available to Iran, that they -- freeing up other money that they could use for weapons or any other nefarious purposes.
38% : If Iran tries to divert the funds or use them for anything other than a limited humanitarian purpose as authorized, we'll take action to lock up the funds.
37% : No American citizen or dual citizen -- it doesn't matter: Do not travel to Iran.
37% : Secondly, are all Americans and permanent residents now out of Iran or will be out of Iran in the next 24 hours?
36% : Iran is an adversary and a state sponsor of terrorism.
36% : That is why we continue to warn Americans as starkly as you've heard the two of us do on this call, as starkly as the travel advisory on the State Department website, as starkly as the D for wrongful detention indicator does that travel to Iran is an extremely high-risk endeavor, for a number of reasons.
34% : Again, as you have heard, we cannot say it more clearly: Americans should not travel to Iran.
34% : And I will say that -- that with this, all those designated under the statutory process as wrongfully detained in Iran will be coming out.
32% : We've also made clear that so long as Iran is holding American citizens wrongfully detained in Evin Prison, that does not create a construct for diplomacy at all.
31% : But we will continue to call on Iran to give a full accounting of what happened to Bob Levinson, from his initial captivity to his ultimate murder.
24% : But we will be very pleased to say that all those currently designated as wrongfully detained -- all those Americans designated as wrongfully detained under the Levinson Act in Iran will be out, as -- again, with the caveat you've heard from us both: assuming this all goes forward.

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