Bolton to The Hill: Saberi’s release a ‘propaganda ploy’ by Iran

Because of Iran’s about-face on the case of Roxana Saberi — the American journalist of Iranian-Japanese heritage who was imprisoned by Iran on espionage charges — blogs are abuzz today with speculation over whether the Obama administration, which has extended unconditional diplomatic overtures to the Islamic Republic, made concessions to Iran to secure Saberi’s release. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said today that “we continue to take issue with the charges against her and the verdict rendered, but we are very heartened that she has been released and wish her and her family all the very best.”

Obviously, Iran was coming under pressure to re-adjudicate, as it were, the Saberi case. So on Sunday there was another closed-door hearing for Saberi’s appeal, resulting in her eight-year prison term being reduced to a two-year suspended sentence and her expulsion from the country.

I talked to former U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. John Bolton a little bit ago to get his take on this result.

“With this administration, there’s no telling” if concessions were granted to Iran, Bolton said, but a possible explanation may be an ages-old tactic by Iran as it moves toward negotiations with the U.S.: “First you deprive someone of something, then give it back to make them feel grateful.”

“The government in Tehran will now expect us to feel grateful,” Bolton added, while stressing that the reduction of Saberi’s sentence was not acquittal and was “this is not vindication.” What remained to be seen, he said, is if the White House would express said gratitude, and how.

Bolton said he hopes the Obama administration would not “misread it is as an effort at reconciliation.”

To sum it up, Bolton called Iran’s move a “propaganda ploy.”