{"id":328160,"date":"2025-01-31T18:03:45","date_gmt":"2025-01-31T17:03:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/?p=328160"},"modified":"2025-01-31T18:03:45","modified_gmt":"2025-01-31T17:03:45","slug":"iran-news-clerical-regime-wields-hostage-diplomacy-to-divide-the-eu-el-pais-reports","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/news\/terrorism-a-fundamentalism\/iran-news-clerical-regime-wields-hostage-diplomacy-to-divide-the-eu-el-pais-reports\/","title":{"rendered":"Iran News: Clerical Regime Wields Hostage Diplomacy to Divide the EU, El Pa\u00eds Reports"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure id=\"attachment_328161\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-328161\" style=\"width: 1000px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-328161\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/el-pais-iran-hostage-taking-policy.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1000\" height=\"553\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/el-pais-iran-hostage-taking-policy.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/el-pais-iran-hostage-taking-policy-300x166.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/el-pais-iran-hostage-taking-policy-768x425.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/el-pais-iran-hostage-taking-policy-759x420.jpg 759w, https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/el-pais-iran-hostage-taking-policy-150x83.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/el-pais-iran-hostage-taking-policy-696x385.jpg 696w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-328161\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">El Pais page on the Iranian regime&#8217;s &#8220;hostage diplomacy&#8221;<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">According to <a href=\"https:\/\/elpais.com\/internacional\/2025-01-29\/iran-reactiva-la-diplomacia-de-los-rehenes-en-un-ano-clave-para-la-negociacion-nuclear.html\">a report by <em>El Pa\u00eds<\/em><\/a>, the Iranian regime is once again using hostage diplomacy as a strategic tool to manipulate European nations, leveraging the imprisonment of Western citizens to extract political and financial concessions. The report highlights how Tehran is exploiting arbitrary detentions to drive wedges between European governments while advancing its foreign policy agenda.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The recent release of Italian journalist Cecilia Sala, after 20 days of detention, stands in stark contrast to the continued imprisonment of several French nationals in Iran. Analysts, including Cl\u00e9ment Therme of the French Institute of International Relations (IFRI), argue that Iran deliberately freed Sala while keeping French hostages to sow discord among European nations. The move comes at a time when European countries are engaging in renewed nuclear negotiations with Tehran.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><em>El Pa\u00eds<\/em> reports that Cecilia Sala was released on January 8, just four days before Italy\u2019s Justice Minister Carlo Nordio ordered the release of Iranian detainee Mohammad Abedini Najafabadi. Reports suggest that Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni secured U.S. approval to suspend Najafabadi\u2019s extradition to Washington during her January 5 meeting with former President Donald Trump. This exchange coincided with key negotiations in Geneva, signaling Tehran\u2019s continued reliance on hostage diplomacy to gain leverage.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">In light of Hamid Noury&#39;s release today, it&#39;s crucial to revisit the endless cycle of Western appeasement fueling <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Iran?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#Iran<\/a>&#39;s regime <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/terror?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#terror<\/a> and hostage-taking. This loop, starting with Iranian dissidents, now ensnares Western officials and citizens.<a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/ieaaOkZb6y\">https:\/\/t.co\/ieaaOkZb6y<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/iran_policy\/status\/1802041584973709639?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">June 15, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Meanwhile, French citizens C\u00e9cile Kohler, Jacques Paris, and Olivier Grondeau remain imprisoned in Iran. Analysts suggest that Iran\u2019s refusal to release these individuals is linked to growing tensions between Tehran and Paris, particularly in light of President Emmanuel Macron\u2019s recent discussions <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thenationalnews.com\/news\/europe\/2025\/01\/06\/macron-sees-iran-nuclear-programme-reaching-breaking-point-as-trump-return-looms\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">on activating the \u2018snapback\u2019<\/a> mechanism\u2014an initiative that could reimpose sanctions on Iran for nuclear non-compliance.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">David Rigoulet-Roze, a researcher at the French Institute for International and Strategic Affairs (IRIS), told <em>El Pa\u00eds<\/em> that Iran\u2019s anger over France\u2019s stance has contributed to its selective hostage releases. Tehran continues to use imprisoned French nationals as bargaining chips to deter Paris from taking a firmer position in nuclear negotiations.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Beyond political maneuvering, <em>El Pa\u00eds<\/em> details how Iran has a well-documented history of leveraging hostages to secure financial relief. The release of dual-national prisoners has often been accompanied by the unfreezing of Iranian assets. In 2016, following a prisoner exchange with the U.S., Iran received <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/obama-administration-acknowledges-1-7-billion-transfer-to-iran-was-all-cash\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">$1.7 billion in cash transfers<\/a>. Critics labeled this as a ransom payment, warning that such deals only incentivize future hostage-taking.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Similarly, in 2023, Belgium released convicted Iranian diplomat <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vrt.be\/vrtnws\/en\/2021\/02\/02\/iranian-terror-suspect-is-belgian-jail-is-top-spy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Assadollah Assadi<\/a>\u2014who had been sentenced to 20 years for a foiled terror plot\u2014in exchange for Belgian aid worker Olivier Vandecasteele and two Austrian-Iranian prisoners. The Iranian regime celebrated this deal as a victory, reinforcing its belief in the effectiveness of hostage diplomacy.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">The <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Iranian?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#Iranian<\/a> regime aired an interview with Asadollah Assadi, its convicted diplomat <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/terrorist?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#terrorist<\/a>, who was jailed in Belgium for a foiled 2018 bomb plot in Paris. This move seeks to bolster its hostage-taking diplomacy for both domestic and international audiences. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/SIhC5faqkK\">pic.twitter.com\/SIhC5faqkK<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/iran_policy\/status\/1820797332889198626?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">August 6, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Iran\u2019s ongoing hostage-taking practices have drawn sharp criticism from European lawmakers. On January 25, the European Parliament condemned Tehran\u2019s \u2018hostage diplomacy\u2019 and demanded the immediate release of European detainees, including French nationals and Iranian-Swedish <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/news\/human-rights\/scientist-sentenced-to-death-in-iran-for-refusing-to-spy-on-the-west\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">scientist Ahmadreza Djalali<\/a>. The resolution also urged the European Council to designate the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization and expand sanctions against Iranian officials involved in human rights abuses.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Experts warn as long as Tehran perceives hostage diplomacy as an effective tool, Western nationals will remain at risk of arbitrary detention.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">With Iran\u2019s nuclear negotiations at a critical juncture, European governments face mounting pressure to respond decisively to Tehran\u2019s coercive diplomacy. The question remains: will Europe stand united against the Iranian regime\u2019s tactics, or will Tehran continue exploiting divisions to its advantage?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>According to a report by El Pa&iacute;s, the Iranian regime is once again using hostage diplomacy as a strategic tool to manipulate European nations, leveraging the imprisonment of Western citizens [&#8230;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":17,"featured_media":328161,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[287],"class_list":{"0":"post-328160","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-terrorism-a-fundamentalism","8":"tag-iran-terrorism"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Iran News: Clerical Regime Wields Hostage Diplomacy to Divide the EU, El Pa\u00eds Reports - 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