Sky News host Rita Panahi says the “backward and brutal” Iranian regime employed hostage diplomacy, using Academic Kylie Moore Gilbert to extort a prisoner swap from the Australian government.
On Tuesday night Sky news will feature an exclusive interview with Kylie Moore Gilbert, an Australian academic who was locked up in Iran, sentenced to 10 years in prison on trumped up spying charges. Ms Panahi said Ms Gilbert was subjected to “physical and psychological torture” including many months in solitary confinement.
She condemned the Australian government’s use of “quiet diplomacy” which she labelled a “foolish exercise” when dealing with a regime which “oppresses millions of its own people, killing political dissidents and protesters”. “Iran’s brutality and cruelty sees it execute children for protesting against the government, they lock up and kill journalists even ones that have fled the country.”
Ms Panahi said Iran was a “leading state sponsor of terrorism” and consequently it was unwise for the US government re-instate Obama’s 2015 Iranian nuclear deal which was later axed under Donald Trump.
“Biden’s white house has already made several significant overtures to Iran but the regime’s mullahs have thus far rejected the offers.
“They can smell weakness and know they can push for more, hell they might even get a few more plane loads of cash with their reinstated nuclear deal.”
Read the article and watch the video on Sky News.