Iran Executes Man Despite Daughter's Plea to Biden-Harris Administration for Intervention

Iran’s brutal regime has executed Jamshid “Jimmy” Sharmahd, a German-Iranian citizen whose daughter publicly denounced the Biden-Harris administration for its inaction in saving her father. Sharmahd, who had been imprisoned in Iran since 2020, faced allegations from the Iranian government of espionage and was sentenced under inhumane conditions. His family and supporters repeatedly appealed to U.S. and German leaders, only to be met with silence.

In the weeks leading up to his father’s execution, Sharmahd’s daughter, Gazelle, was vocal in her frustration with the Biden administration’s apparent apathy. She condemned Biden and Harris, noting their refusal to even mention her father’s plight, despite his status as an American citizen and a German national. “While we were sweating in the heat,” Gazelle recalled of a previous sit-in with other hostage families, “they, Biden and Harris, made a deal with the Islamic regime in Iran… And what did they do? They transferred $6 billion to a bank in Qatar.”

Gazelle’s statements highlight a severe lack of support from Western leaders, especially as the Biden administration moved forward with controversial diplomatic deals. This diplomatic gesture with Iran, which many criticized as an indirect funding of terrorism, has done nothing to bring hostages like Sharmahd home.

• Failure to Act: For years, Sharmahd’s family has sought action, urging the Biden administration to negotiate or place meaningful pressure on Iran. Yet the administration has refrained from taking any public stance on his case.

• Diplomatic Hypocrisy: Despite the administration’s condemnation of hostage-taking and terrorism abroad, it has done little to confront Iran on Sharmahd’s behalf, even as it extends financial gestures to Iran under the guise of diplomacy.

• International Pressure: German Chancellor Olaf Scholz condemned Sharmahd’s execution, calling it “a scandal,” though this reaction comes too late to save Sharmahd. Gazelle and others now question if such condemnations amount to anything more than hollow rhetoric.

Gazelle’s critique of both the Biden-Harris administration and Germany’s government is a powerful indictment. She questioned why her father’s life and that of other hostages held in foreign prisons haven’t been deemed worthy of negotiation or pressure, unlike other, more publicized hostage cases. “If you have a plan, let us know why you haven’t done it in four years for your own citizens,” she challenged, underscoring the tragic silence from world leaders even as they negotiate with some of the world’s most dangerous regimes.

As this tragedy unfolds, it sends a sobering message to American and European citizens who may find themselves in similar situations abroad. The U.S. government’s track record on protecting its citizens in foreign countries is increasingly seen as inconsistent, especially under the Biden administration. If world leaders are serious about holding rogue nations accountable, then leaving hostages like Jimmy Sharmahd behind, in the hands of a merciless regime, is not the way to show it.

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