The daughter of a US resident under sentence of death in Iran said her father has been “left behind to die” after the Biden administration failed to include him in a hostage release deal with Tehran.
Jamshid “Jimmy” Sharmahd, who holds dual Iranian-German citizenship and American residency, was sidelined in a prisoner exchange deal where $6 billion of Iranian oil money will be unfrozen.
Gazelle Sharmahd told The National US President Joe Biden and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz owe her family an explanation on the “horrific hostage-abandonment deal”.
Five US citizens detained for years in Iran arrived in Doha on Monday after being freed. They included conservationist Morad Tahbaz, who also holds British citizenship, Siamak Namazi and Emad Sharghi.
The identities of the other two hostages have not been made public.
Mr Tahbaz was left out of a UK-brokered deal with Tehran in 2022 when dual nationals Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe and Anoosheh Ashoori were freed.
The UK is understood to have paid a 40-year-old, £400 million debt to Tehran as part of the arrangement.
Deal overshadowed by injustice
As the freed hostages landed in the US on Tuesday, Mr Ashoori told The National he felt “torn when considering the situation from both perspectives”.
He said that while the latest deal had liberated prisoners from what he called “the valley of hell” it also risked enabling Iran to misuse funds to suppress citizens.
Ms Sharmahd said her father and at least two others who hold either US citizenship or residency detained in the secluded nation were “ruthlessly left behind” by the American government.
The father-of-two has been imprisoned in Iran since July 2020 after being convicted of spying and “corruption on earth”, and has been handed a death sentence by the Iranian courts.
“Jimmy is on death row and the sentence may be carried out if the regime deems it politically expedient,” Ms Sharmahd said.
She said the US had a duty to protect its citizens and residents “equally and fairly”. The freedom and rights of Americans should “not just be preserved for a chosen few”, she said.
“I am happy for the freedom of every unjustly detained, but my happiness is overshadowed by the immense amount of injustice and threat this negotiation has brought upon the … dozens of other hostages that were left behind,” Ms Sharmahd said.
Sharmahd is understood to be the only US citizen or resident facing the death penalty in Iran, the country of his birth.
His daughter believes her father failed to make the cut in hostage negotiations between the US and Iran because he had been critical of the regime before his arrest.
She said she was exasperated by how the US could ignore the plight of a man who was taken to Iran against his will and who is “tortured year after year in solitary confinement”.
This “hostage is my dad Jimmy and he was left behind to die”, she said.
Campaigners welcomed the deal where the US agree to the release of frozen Iranian assets owed by a third country, South Korea.
The US insisted that Qatar, the prisoner swap’s mediator, will ensure that the money is only spent primarily on food, medicine and agricultural goods that are not subject to sanctions.
Critics said it will be impossible to ensure the funds are spent in accordance with the terms of the deal and the US threat to scrap the deal if Iran breaks its commitment is bogus.
Republicans accused Mr Biden of “funding terrorism” and “shelling out prisoners and cash to Iran”.
'Abandoned in the torture chamber'
After leaving his country of birth in the wake of the 1978-1979 Iranian revolution, Sharmahd settled in Germany with his wife and the family had a son, Shayan.
They moved to California in 2003 where Sharmahd used his skills as a software engineer to build a website for a local Persian language TV station.
He survived a murder attempt, which his family believe was orchestrated by the Iranian government.
Ms Sharmahd said her father has lost a considerable amount of weight and shown visible signs of torture, including missing teeth.
She stressed the urgency of her father’s case and demanded answers from legislators in the US and Germany about what is being done to release him from the “torture chamber”.
“Our government has failed to explain that when you release an unprecedented amount of money for a few hostages, what do you plan to do now to free the ones you abandon in this negotiation?” she said.
“How do you ensure my dad will be safe and alive and not murdered now?
“Instead of wasting your time on national TV trying to convince us that our hostage takers will use the money for humanitarian reasons, explain to us how and when will you bring Jimmy Sharmahd back home to us?
“The last American patriot left behind in a hostage release in 2015 was Bob Levinson, and we all know that cost him his life.”
Former Iranian hostage Mr Ashoori has told The National he was disappointed his former cellmate Shahab Dalili, who holds US residency, was not included in the prisoner exchange deal.
On Tuesday, Mr Ashoori said: “The agony of spending even a single additional minute in that place defies description.
“However, it is vital to acknowledge that any deal struck with the Islamic regime carries the inherent risk of them using the funds to further suppress their own people or support terrorist organisations worldwide.
“In essence, there is no perfect solution in these cases.”
Mr Ashoori, who was reunited with his family in London in March 2022 after spending five years in Tehran’s Evin prison, said prisoner swap deals fail to address Iran's hostage taking at its core.
Iran’s actions in recent months and years show its policy has “unfortunately proven effective”, he said.
“I firmly believe that the root of this problem can only be eradicated through a unified effort by western governments,” he said. “By creating policies that deter these malevolent actors from committing such heinous acts, we can hope to make lasting change.”
“Until we address this issue at its core, we will regrettably continue to witness episodes like the ones we've experienced,” he added.
Mr Ashoori's daughter Elika Ashoori said western governments should stop paying Iran to secure the release of their citizens.
Ms Ashoori, who campaigned for her father’s release, said while she was happy for the families of relatives set free this week, such deals “validated” Iran’s hostage diplomacy.
“I am personally happy for the families because I know the feeling of having to wait for so long to get to this stage,” she told Radio 4’s Today show.
“But also on a broader level, it’s highly frustrating, because if you think about the amount of money that’s been exchanged and for not even all the American prisoners, I do believe that these negotiations, these deals, as long as they are happening they are validating this practice of hostage diplomacy.”
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
Britain's travel restrictions
- A negative test 2 days before flying
- Complete passenger locator form
- Book a post-arrival PCR test
- Double-vaccinated must self-isolate
- 11 countries on red list quarantine
Company%20profile
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Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
MATCH INFO
What: 2006 World Cup quarter-final
When: July 1
Where: Gelsenkirchen Stadium, Gelsenkirchen, Germany
Result:
England 0 Portugal 0
(Portugal win 3-1 on penalties)
Profile of Hala Insurance
Date Started: September 2018
Founders: Walid and Karim Dib
Based: Abu Dhabi
Employees: Nine
Amount raised: $1.2 million
Funders: Oman Technology Fund, AB Accelerator, 500 Startups, private backers
Asia Cup Qualifier
Venue: Kuala Lumpur
Result: Winners play at Asia Cup in Dubai and Abu Dhabi in September
Fixtures:
Wed Aug 29: Malaysia v Hong Kong, Nepal v Oman, UAE v Singapore
Thu Aug 30: UAE v Nepal, Hong Kong v Singapore, Malaysia v Oman
Sat Sep 1: UAE v Hong Kong, Oman v Singapore, Malaysia v Nepal
Sun Sep 2: Hong Kong v Oman, Malaysia v UAE, Nepal v Singapore
Tue Sep 4: Malaysia v Singapore, UAE v Oman, Nepal v Hong Kong
Thu Sep 6: Final
Asia Cup
Venue: Dubai and Abu Dhabi
Schedule: Sep 15-28
Teams: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, plus the winner of the Qualifier
Cry Macho
Director: Clint Eastwood
Stars: Clint Eastwood, Dwight Yoakam
Rating:**
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How Tesla’s price correction has hit fund managers
Investing in disruptive technology can be a bumpy ride, as investors in Tesla were reminded on Friday, when its stock dropped 7.5 per cent in early trading to $575.
It recovered slightly but still ended the week 15 per cent lower and is down a third from its all-time high of $883 on January 26. The electric car maker’s market cap fell from $834 billion to about $567bn in that time, a drop of an astonishing $267bn, and a blow for those who bought Tesla stock late.
The collapse also hit fund managers that have gone big on Tesla, notably the UK-based Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust and Cathie Wood’s ARK Innovation ETF.
Tesla is the top holding in both funds, making up a hefty 10 per cent of total assets under management. Both funds have fallen by a quarter in the past month.
Matt Weller, global head of market research at GAIN Capital, recently warned that Tesla founder Elon Musk had “flown a bit too close to the sun”, after getting carried away by investing $1.5bn of the company’s money in Bitcoin.
He also predicted Tesla’s sales could struggle as traditional auto manufacturers ramp up electric car production, destroying its first mover advantage.
AJ Bell’s Russ Mould warns that many investors buy tech stocks when earnings forecasts are rising, almost regardless of valuation. “When it works, it really works. But when it goes wrong, elevated valuations leave little or no downside protection.”
A Tesla correction was probably baked in after last year’s astonishing share price surge, and many investors will see this as an opportunity to load up at a reduced price.
Dramatic swings are to be expected when investing in disruptive technology, as Ms Wood at ARK makes clear.
Every week, she sends subscribers a commentary listing “stocks in our strategies that have appreciated or dropped more than 15 per cent in a day” during the week.
Her latest commentary, issued on Friday, showed seven stocks displaying extreme volatility, led by ExOne, a leader in binder jetting 3D printing technology. It jumped 24 per cent, boosted by news that fellow 3D printing specialist Stratasys had beaten fourth-quarter revenues and earnings expectations, seen as good news for the sector.
By contrast, computational drug and material discovery company Schrödinger fell 27 per cent after quarterly and full-year results showed its core software sales and drug development pipeline slowing.
Despite that setback, Ms Wood remains positive, arguing that its “medicinal chemistry platform offers a powerful and unique view into chemical space”.
In her weekly video view, she remains bullish, stating that: “We are on the right side of change, and disruptive innovation is going to deliver exponential growth trajectories for many of our companies, in fact, most of them.”
Ms Wood remains committed to Tesla as she expects global electric car sales to compound at an average annual rate of 82 per cent for the next five years.
She said these are so “enormous that some people find them unbelievable”, and argues that this scepticism, especially among institutional investors, “festers” and creates a great opportunity for ARK.
Only you can decide whether you are a believer or a festering sceptic. If it’s the former, then buckle up.
MORE FROM CON COUGHLIN
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Teachers' pay - what you need to know
Pay varies significantly depending on the school, its rating and the curriculum. Here's a rough guide as of January 2021:
- top end schools tend to pay Dh16,000-17,000 a month - plus a monthly housing allowance of up to Dh6,000. These tend to be British curriculum schools rated 'outstanding' or 'very good', followed by American schools
- average salary across curriculums and skill levels is about Dh10,000, recruiters say
- it is becoming more common for schools to provide accommodation, sometimes in an apartment block with other teachers, rather than hand teachers a cash housing allowance
- some strong performing schools have cut back on salaries since the pandemic began, sometimes offering Dh16,000 including the housing allowance, which reflects the slump in rental costs, and sheer demand for jobs
- maths and science teachers are most in demand and some schools will pay up to Dh3,000 more than other teachers in recognition of their technical skills
- at the other end of the market, teachers in some Indian schools, where fees are lower and competition among applicants is intense, can be paid as low as Dh3,000 per month
- in Indian schools, it has also become common for teachers to share residential accommodation, living in a block with colleagues
The specs
Price, base / as tested Dh135,000
Engine 1.6L turbo
Gearbox Six speed automatic with manual and sports mode
Power 165hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque 240Nm @ 1,400rpm 0-100kph: 9.2 seconds
Top speed 420 kph (governed)
Fuel economy, combined 35.2L / 100km (est)
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
The%20specs
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Mubadala World Tennis Championship 2018 schedule
Thursday December 27
Men's quarter-finals
Kevin Anderson v Hyeon Chung 4pm
Dominic Thiem v Karen Khachanov 6pm
Women's exhibition
Serena Williams v Venus Williams 8pm
Friday December 28
5th place play-off 3pm
Men's semi-finals
Rafael Nadal v Anderson/Chung 5pm
Novak Djokovic v Thiem/Khachanov 7pm
Saturday December 29
3rd place play-off 5pm
Men's final 7pm
8 traditional Jamaican dishes to try at Kingston 21
- Trench Town Rock: Jamaican-style curry goat served in a pastry basket with a carrot and potato garnish
- Rock Steady Jerk Chicken: chicken marinated for 24 hours and slow-cooked on the grill
- Mento Oxtail: flavoured oxtail stewed for five hours with herbs
- Ackee and salt fish: the national dish of Jamaica makes for a hearty breakfast
- Jamaican porridge: another breakfast favourite, can be made with peanut, cornmeal, banana and plantain
- Jamaican beef patty: a pastry with ground beef filling
- Hellshire Pon di Beach: Fresh fish with pickles
- Out of Many: traditional sweet potato pudding
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