Eldar Mamedov: Not the deal of the century, but Iran prisoner swap is big news

Last week, the Biden administration announced a deal with the Iranian regime that would free five Iranian-American prisoners in Tehran in exchange for several Iranian prisoners here in the U.S. The deal would also free up $6 billion in frozen Iranian funds to be used solely for humanitarian purposes in Iran. Brussels-based foreign policy analyst Eldar Mamedov joins us this week to talk about the Republican-hawk backlash against the deal and what the agreement might mean for future diplomatic efforts between the U.S. and Iran. We also get him to talk about Biden's apparent moves to get Saudi Arabia to normalize relations with Israel, and at what cost. 

In the first segment Kelley and Dan discuss the New York Times' latest attempt to diminish non-interventionists and restrainers on the Ukraine war issue — this time on the Left.

More Eldar Mamedov:

Hawks hurl lies over Iran prisoner swap but can’t hide this truth, Responsible Statecraft, 8/11/23

Fresh hysteria over detail-less Bolivia-Iran security deal, Responsible Statecraft, 8/1/23

Qatar emerges as go-between on frozen US-Venezuela front, Responsible Statecraft, 7/6/23

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