'Destroying America,' Trump bashes Biden administration's prisoner swap deal with Iran

Former US President Donald Trump bashed the Biden administration after they issued a sanction waiver for banks to transfer $6 billion of frozen Iranian funds in the latest prisoner swap deal. The business tycoon-turned-politician called the 80-year-old president 'crooked' and insisted that this move would ultimately 'destroy America'. The former US President went on a rant against Biden on his social media platform TruthSocial. With this sanction waiver, the Biden administration has cleared the way for the release of five American citizens who are currently detained in Iran. 

“Can you believe that Crooked Joe Biden is giving $6 Billion to the terrorist regime in Iran? That money be used for terrorism all over the Middle East, and, indeed, the World,” the former US President wrote on TruthSocial on Tuesday. He went on to call the commander-in-chief an “incompetent fool”. “This incompetent FOOL is absolutely destroying America. He had the audacity to announce this terrible deal today, September 11th. To pay for hostages will lead to kidnapping, ransom, and blackmail against Americans across the globe. I freed many dozens of our people from various unfriendly countries and never paid a dime!” he added. 

The prisoner swap

Last week, the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken signed off on the sanctions waivers unfreezing the Iranian funds from South Korea to Qatar. Not only this, the United States agreed to release five Iranian citizens held in the United States, in return for the American nationals detained in Iran. The matter became controversial since the US Congress was not informed of the waiver decision until Monday, Associated Press reported. The move drew criticisms from other Republicans as well. US Senator Chuck Grassley stated that the United States was “blackmailed into it”. “It’s ridiculous for the US to be blackmailed into paying $6B for hostages which will help indirectly finance the number 1 foreign policy of Iran: terrorism Last time it was $1.7B traded for hostages next time it will probably be $10B the price keeps going up & up,” Grassley wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. 

Meanwhile, the White House pushed back against criticisms and insisted that the waiver decision was only a 'procedural step' aimed at fulfilling the tentative agreement reached with Iran in August, this year. “What is being pursued here is an arrangement wherein we secure the release of 5 wrongfully held Americans,” said Adrienne Watson, a spokeswoman for the National Security Council. “This remains a sensitive and ongoing process. While this is a step in the process, no individuals have been or will be released into U.S. custody this week,” Watson added. Hence, the recent prisoner swap has become an extremely controversial matter.