Tuesday, September 14, 2010

An American Prisoner Released in Iran

My Eschaton buddy plantsman cites the Washington Post:

Iranian authorities have released one of three Americans held for more than a year in Iran, their lawyer confirmed on Tuesday...

Shourd's release was initially expected at a government organized ceremony on Saturday. But it was postponed after judicial authorities objected, saying her case had not been finalized yet.

On Sunday, a bail of $ 500,000 was set as a condition for her release. On Monday, Shroud's family in the United States said they could not pay that much and were trying to lower the amount. It is unclear if any money was paid.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/09/14/AR2010091401484.html?hpid=topnews

As always, such actions have to be evaluated as signals, addressed to the domestic population and to the world. So, Ahmadinejad is clearly at odds with the theocracy, and he and the country's people not eager to entirely reject engagement with the west.

One could rely on Bush to do something stupid, ignorant and oblivious in response to such a thing, as in most other contexts. Let's see what Obama does. Maybe the Obama who gave the Cairo speech will show up.

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