Washington, DC – United States President Joe Biden’s administration has defended a looming prisoner swap deal with Iran against growing criticism from Republican legislators who say it will bolster the Iranian government.
US Department of State spokesperson Matthew Miller said on Tuesday that the administration had to make “real-life choices” to push for the release of five Americans imprisoned in Iran.
He dismissed Republican attacks on the agreement, which also will see Washington release five Iranian prisoners in its custody and release $6bn of Iranian funds frozen in South Korea due to US sanctions.
“Iran is not going to release these American citizens out of the goodness of their heart,” Miller told reporters.
“That is not real life. That is not how this works. That was never going to happen. We had to make tough choices and engage in tough negotiations to bring these American citizens home.”
The Biden administration informed Congress on Monday that it issued sanctions waivers to facilitate the transfer of the $6bn in frozen Iranian funds to Qatar.
Iran will be able to access the money but only use it for humanitarian purposes, including food and medicine, the US has said.
The waivers sparked a massive outcry from Republican hawks who accused Biden of paying a ransom for hostages — against stated US government policy.
Many also underscored that the announcement coincided with the 22nd anniversary of the September 11, 2001, attacks, which Iran was not involved in.
“Biden just gave $6 billion to Iran — and on 9/11,” Republican Congressman Darrell Issa said in a social media post on Monday. “We used to call funding a terror state an act of treason.”
Another Republican, Steve Womack, accused the Biden administration of “handing over” $6bn to Tehran, while right-wing lawmaker Andy Biggs said the US was “shelling out prisoners and cash to Iran”.
GOP Senator Marsha Blackburn added, “The Biden administration’s $6 billion payout incentivizes Iran’s terrorist activities and endangers the lives of even more of our citizens.”
Miller rejected the Republican lawmakers’ comments. “No one has given Iran $1 here,” he said during Tuesday’s briefing. “These are Iranian funds. [This is] Iranian money.”
Under US sanctions, Iran was always able to access frozen funds for humanitarian purchases, but banks have been reluctant to engage in any transactions involving Tehran to avoid penalties from Washington.
Miller said the $6bn transfer is not yet complete but added that the funds would be under strict US Treasury oversight.
However, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said in an interview earlier on Tuesday with NBC News that Iran will spend the $6bn “wherever” it wants.
Miller contradicted that, saying the US will be able to freeze the funds again if it needs to.
The State Department spokesperson also reiterated that the prisoner swap will not change Washington’s broader approach to Tehran.
“This has been an action we have pursued to free these five wrongfully imprisoned American citizens,” he said.
“Separately, we do remain focused on constraining Iran’s nuclear programme, constraining its destabilising behaviour. We remain committed to ensuring it never obtains a nuclear weapon.”
The US and Iran have seen heightened tensions since 2018, when former US President Donald Trump nixed a multilateral deal that saw Tehran scale back its nuclear programme in exchange for the lifting of sanctions against its economy.
Biden came into office in early 2021 on a promise to revive the Iran nuclear accord, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
But as several rounds of indirect negotiations failed to restore the pact, Washington continued to enforce its sanctions regime against Tehran and piled on more penalties.
Publicly announced JCPOA talks were eventually put on hold, and attempts to restore them were complicated by a crackdown on anti-government protesters in Iran and accusations that Tehran was providing Moscow with drones for use in Ukraine.
Iran, which has denied seeking a nuclear weapon, has escalated its nuclear programme since the JCPOA fell apart.
Quebec legislature member Youri Chassin has announced he’s leaving the Coalition Avenir Québec government to sit as an Independent.
He announced the decision shortly after writing an open letter criticizing Premier François Legault’s government for abandoning its principles of smaller government.
In the letter published in Le Journal de Montréal and Le Journal de Québec, Chassin accused the party of falling back on what he called the old formula of throwing money at problems instead of looking to do things differently.
Chassin says public services are more fragile than ever, despite rising spending that pushed the province to a record $11-billion deficit projected in the last budget.
He is the second CAQ member to leave the party in a little more than one week, after economy and energy minister Pierre Fitzgibbon announced Sept. 4 he would leave because he lost motivation to do his job.
Chassin says he has no intention of joining another party and will instead sit as an Independent until the end of his term.
He has represented the Saint-Jérôme riding since the CAQ rose to power in 2018, but has not served in cabinet.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.
MONTREAL – NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh says he will not be taking advice from Pierre Poilievre after the Conservative leader challenged him to bring down government.
“I say directly to Pierre Poilievre: I’m not going to listen to you,” said Singh on Wednesday, accusing Poilievre of wanting to take away dental-care coverage from Canadians, among other things.
“I’m not going to listen to your advice. You want to destroy people’s lives, I want to build up a brighter future.”
Earlier in the day, Poilievre challenged Singh to commit to voting non-confidence in the government, saying his party will force a vote in the House of Commons “at the earliest possibly opportunity.”
“I’m asking Jagmeet Singh and the NDP to commit unequivocally before Monday’s byelections: will they vote non-confidence to bring down the costly coalition and trigger a carbon tax election, or will Jagmeet Singh sell out Canadians again?” Poilievre said.
“It’s put up or shut up time for the NDP.”
While Singh rejected the idea he would ever listen to Poilievre, he did not say how the NDP would vote on a non-confidence motion.
“I’ve said on any vote, we’re going to look at the vote and we’ll make our decision. I’m not going to say our decision ahead of time,” he said.
Singh’s top adviser said on Tuesday the NDP leader is not particularly eager to trigger an election, even as the Conservatives challenge him to do just that.
Anne McGrath, Singh’s principal secretary, says there will be more volatility in Parliament and the odds of an early election have risen.
“I don’t think he is anxious to launch one, or chomping at the bit to have one, but it can happen,” she said in an interview.
New Democrat MPs are in a second day of meetings in Montreal as they nail down a plan for how to navigate the minority Parliament this fall.
The caucus retreat comes one week after Singh announced the party has left the supply-and-confidence agreement with the governing Liberals.
It’s also taking place in the very city where New Democrats are hoping to pick up a seat on Monday, when voters go to the polls in Montreal’s LaSalle—Émard—Verdun. A second byelection is being held that day in the Winnipeg riding of Elmwood—Transcona, where the NDP is hoping to hold onto a seat the Conservatives are also vying for.
While New Democrats are seeking to distance themselves from the Liberals, they don’t appear ready to trigger a general election.
Singh signalled on Tuesday that he will have more to say Wednesday about the party’s strategy for the upcoming sitting.
He is hoping to convince Canadians that his party can defeat the federal Conservatives, who have been riding high in the polls over the last year.
Singh has attacked Poilievre as someone who would bring back Harper-style cuts to programs that Canadians rely on, including the national dental-care program that was part of the supply-and-confidence agreement.
The Canadian Press has asked Poilievre’s office whether the Conservative leader intends to keep the program in place, if he forms government after the next election.
With the return of Parliament just days away, the NDP is also keeping in mind how other parties will look to capitalize on the new makeup of the House of Commons.
The Bloc Québécois has already indicated that it’s written up a list of demands for the Liberals in exchange for support on votes.
The next federal election must take place by October 2025 at the latest.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 11, 2024.
Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante is defending her decision to turn off comments on her social media accounts — with an announcement on social media.
She posted screenshots to X this morning of vulgar names she’s been called on the platform, and says comments on her posts for months have been dominated by insults, to the point that she decided to block them.
Montreal’s Opposition leader and the Canadian Civil Liberties Association have criticized Plante for limiting freedom of expression by restricting comments on her X and Instagram accounts.
They say elected officials who use social media should be willing to hear from constituents on those platforms.
However, Plante says some people may believe there is a fundamental right to call someone offensive names and to normalize violence online, but she disagrees.
Her statement on X is closed to comments.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 11, 2024.
