A State Department spokesman admitted Tuesday that Iran is not treating the U.S. with the respect it deserves, even though the U.S. continues to seek a “respectful” relationship with Iran.
“I think you’re correct in stating that parts of the Iranian government are not necessarily acting in a respectful way toward the United States,” spokesman Mark Toner told reporters Tuesday.
Toner’s remarks came after a day in which Iran sentenced two U.S. citizens, Siamak and Baquer Namazi, to 10 years in prison. Toner released a statement calling on Iran to release them, and to release all other U.S. citizens that are “unjustly detained” in Iran.
Toner also said his department “respectfully” asks Iran to help figure out what happened to Robert Levinson, who disappeared in Iran in 2007.
That statement prompted questions about why the U.S. would ask Iran anything “respectfully” at a time when Iranian allies in Yemen are firing on U.S. ships, and after Iran embarrassed the Obama administration by taking 10 U.S. sailors hostage in January.
“Adverbs aside, what we’re trying to underscore here is that Iran made a commitment that it would help us get to the bottom of either Mr. Levinson’s whereabouts, or what happened to him,” Toner said when asked whether Iran was deserving of respect from the U.S. government.
Toner also admitted, however, that so far, Iran has done nothing to help uncover what happened to Levinson. “[T]hus far, they haven’t lived up to that” commitment, he said.
Republicans in Congress have argued for months now that the Obama administration struck a bad nuclear agreement with Iran, one that was linked to a deal to free four U.S. hostages, but only after the U.S. delivered $400 million in cash to the regime.
Republicans predicted immediately that the transaction would only encourage Iran to hold more U.S. hostages.
