Biden admin accused of abandoning 3 US residents held in Iran as part of ‘ransom’ payment to regime

FOX News-Aug 21st2023

The Biden administration is under fire from the families of U.S. residents taken hostage by Iran’s regime over a controversial $6 billion prisoner exchange deal that allegedly hung their loved ones out to dry.

Three U.S. residents – Shahab Dalili, Jamshid Sharmahd and Afshin Sheikholeslami Vatani – are classified as U.S. nationals, according to the Levinson Act, said legal experts, and are not part of Biden’s deal.

The Levinson Act defines a “United States national” as a “lawful permanent resident with significant ties to the United States.” According to the State Department, the definition applies to non-U.S. citizens.

The son of Dalili, Darian, who lives in Virginia, told Fox News Digital last week, “My father and I both were on hunger strike for 4 days from Saturday noon until last night. He wasn’t going to end it unless I did. Out of concern for his health and calls from family members and the Iranian-American community, I ended it.”

In a text message to Fox News Digital, Darian said the Biden administration abandoned his father.

“They have included two unnamed prisoners in this deal with Iran who have been there for only a matter of months and have excluded him who’s been there for seven years and keep saying that they haven’t reached a decision on the unlawful designation matter. How could that take seven years? They have never provided us with an answer on why it is taking so long. We have asked repeatedly,” Darian said.

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