In 1979, Iran seized 53 U.S. citizens and held them hostage for 444 days. Under the deal for their release, they were barred from suing Iran for damages in U.S. courts; and the U.S. government has never compensated them for their ordeal. Until now.
The budget deal passed by Congress last week includes compensation for the former Tehran embassy hostages, of whom 38 are still alive, and their families, totaling about 150 people. It will be funded from fines paid by banks for violating U.S. sanctions against Iran, not by taxpayers. Each former hostage will receive up to $10,000 per day of captivity, or roughly $4.4 million, and eligible spouses and children will receive one-time payments of $600,000 each.
The recent movie Argo and the Iran nuclear deal helped prompt Congress to finally offer some justice to the former hostages who were deprived of their legal right to sue their kidnappers. Read the story here.
Photo: Thirty-six years later, ex-hostages will get millions as compensation for the U.S. government trading away their right to sue their kidnappers.