Iran’s former hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad sent a letter on Monday to President Barack Obama, asking him to “quickly fix” a U.S. Supreme Court ruling allowing families of people killed in attacks linked to Iran to collect damages from some $2 billion in frozen assets.
While writing that his letter “is by no means of (a) political nature,” Ahmadinejad’s message to Obama arrives amid swirling speculation that the hard-line politician may run as a candidate in Iran’s presidential election next year.
It also comes as average Iranians largely have yet to see the benefits of Iran’s nuclear deal with world powers — something a discontent Ahmadinejad and other hard-liners could mine in any potential campaign against moderates.
In the letter, posted on a website associated with the former president’s office, Ahmadinejad focuses on the Supreme Court’s decision in April. The court’s 6-2 ruling allows families of victims of the 1983 Marine barracks bombing in Beirut and other attacks linked to Iran to collect monetary damages from Iran.
At risk for Iran is $1.75 billion in bonds, plus accumulating interest, owned by Iran’s Bank Markazi and held by Citibank in New York.
“It is the clear expectation of the Iranian nation that the particular case of property seizure … be quickly fixed by your excellency and that not only the Iranian nation’s rights be restored and the seized property released and returned, but also the damaged caused be fully compensated for,” the letter said.
“I passionately advise you not to let the historical defamation and bitter incident be recorded under your name,” Ahmadinejad added.
Ahmadinejad’s letter was delivered to the Swiss Embassy in Tehran, which has overseen America’s interests in the country in the years after the 1979 Islamic Revolution and U.S. Embassy takeover. Embassy officials declined to comment.
It’s unclear what steps Ahmadinejad expects Obama to take. There was no immediate comment from the White House regarding the letter.
The timing of the letter, however, is interesting as Ahmadinejad’s name continues to circulate as a possible challenger to moderate President Hassan Rouhani in Iran’s coming May 19 election. Rouhani’s administration negotiated the nuclear accord, which put limits on Iran’s atomic program in exchange for the lifting of crippling economic sanctions.
While Ahmadinejad previously served two four-year terms, Iranian law calls only for a one-term cooling-off period before he’s eligible to run again.
How Iranians would react to another Ahmadinejad run, however, remains to be seen if and when it happens.
Under his presidency, Iran found itself heavily sanctioned over the nuclear program as Ahmadinejad questioned the scale of the Holocaust and predicted the demise of Israel. His disputed 2009 re-election saw widespread protests and violence. Two of his former vice presidents have since been jailed for corruption.
(AP)
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6 Responses
Even Obama, who is claiming powers for the executive branch unheard of since the local Head of State was Charles I (was lost his head over the matter), would have trouble ignoring a federal statute that was approved of overwhelmingly by the Supreme Court (though the Congress could amend the statute, that is unlikely). It could seriously hurt the Democrats if they transfer money to Iran while ignoring a court order.
#1…Ahmadinejad knows a “softie” when he sees one. For anyone else who even remotely considers the nuclear deal to be a good thing…just wait until Ahmadinejad gets back into power…and we know that he will… after Khameini pulls the current Iranian president and stops playing the old “good cop, bad cop” game. Of course, to no one’s surprise President Obama will take the bait.
“Even Obama, who is claiming powers for the executive branch unheard of since the local Head of State was Charles I”
That’s ridiculous, as anyone with an understanding of US history knows.
George Washington’s Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton borrowed money without Congressional approval.
John Adams went to war with France and James Madison invaded Spanish Florida without Congressional approval.
Abraham Lincoln suspended civil liberties during the Civil War, and he freed all slaves in Confederate-held territory by executive order.
Woodrow Wilson’s Treasury Secretary William McAdoo (who was also his son-in-law) closed the New York Stock Exchange for four months in 1914.
Wilson would then nationalize every railroad in the US in 1917 by executive order (later confirmed by Congress).
Franklin Roosevelt would create entire agencies through executive order (usually confirmed by Congress), would seize businesses not cooperating with the war effort in WW2, and would violate immigration laws by letting Jewish refugees into the US starting in 1944.
Dwight Eisenhower would send not federal marshals but the US Army to desegregate schools in Arkansas.
Richard Nixon created the Environmental Protection Agency via executive order.
Ahmadinejad has been watching too much Fox News and reading too many comments at YeshivaWorldNews.
None of the examples you cited involving seizing private property without compensation in peacetime. War powers are more extensive but still don’t allow seizure without payment (the US paid for nationalizing the railroads, and the railroads gladly operated under federal rule since they were well compensated). When Truman tried to seize the steel industry, he lost.
The seizure of rebel property during the civil war was quite legal, and in fact under existing law the United States could have seized all rebel property (i.e. all the land in all rebel states), and could have hanged each and every rebel – note that after the last rebellion in Britain, massive amounts of property were redistributed and a significant part of the population were forced were expelled.
Obama’s extension of administrative powers go far beyond any president, and approach the level of the Stuart kings (who ruled what is now the United States in the 17th century). To undo a valid court judgement, based on an act of Congress specifically allowing them to sue, would put Obama in the same class as James I and Charles I – which is why he won’t do it.
to cahrliehall
watching foxnews probably. reading yeshivaworld?? hell no
How can you put the gehenim word in the last comment?!?!? I thought it was YESHIVA world news… But I guess not
Moderators Note: You said the word yourself “gehenim”. What gives?