An $80 million bounty has been placed on US President Donald Trump's head after General Qasem Soleimani was killed in US airstrikes last week, according to reports.
I'm assuming a scenario where the perpetrators are killed on the scene, and the actual masterminds are already in Iran or in Iranian proxy territory, and for some time after the attack, their identities unknown to the west.
It's certainly not beyond Iran and its proxies to keep someone hidden in total luxury for the rest of their life.
In a scenario where the perpetrators or planners have somehow made it to Iran and are known to the West, no, for sure, sovereignty will not stop the West from getting them.
And yet no one's tried to collect the bounty yet as far as we know. And clearly not because of the skill and diligence of the United States Secret Service.
The sanctions on Iran don't prevent them from transfering money to most of the world, and 80 million dollars is pocket change for almost every single country.
They could have the money on a Cayman Islands or Swiss account by the end of the day, the problem is living long enough to spend it.
Is there a point to sanctions if they can transfer money to buying agents for whatever they need? Maybe the sanctions are all weapons & tech related or something.
Hmm, guess they used to be able to do U-turn payments just by using banks in various counties. If that’s harder now then it’s prob more expensive to get whatever they need since they have to pay someone enough to make it worthwhile for them to break the law. 🤷♂️
Look for example at the EU Sanctions, they impact around 270 individuals and organisations, but allow Iran to conduct legitimate business. The problem is that 80 million is relatively easy to pay in the middle of some of the legitimate business.