- Oct 19, 2012
- 11,390
- 2,652
- 0
- Banned
- #1
"Here's one more sign of a thaw in U.S.-Iranian relations: A 2,700-year-old silver drinking cup, looted from a cave in Iran and seized by U.S. Customs officials a decade ago, was returned to Iran this week. Its value is estimated at a million dollars or more.
The ceremonial drinking vessel from the 7th century B.C., cast in the shape of a winged griffin, has been sitting in a warehouse in New York for years. And for years, U.S. officials have been saying they couldn't return it to Iran until relations between Washington and Tehran were normalized. "This piece can't go back," the New York Post quoted James McAndrew, senior special agent in charge of cultural property for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, as saying in 2010.
On Wednesday, the piece went back.
"It is considered the premier griffin of antiquity, a gift of the Iranian people to the world, and the United States is pleased to return it to the people of Iran," the U.S. State Department said.
Federal authorities say a New York art dealer named Hicham Aboutaam brought the Pre-Achaemenid artifact into the United States in 2000, and provided Customs officials with an invoice falsely claiming that the piece came from Syria. Aboutaam negotiated a deal to sell the artifact to a collector for $950,000 but when federal agents caught wind of the sale, they seized the artifact and arrested Aboutaam on smuggling charges in 2003."
Archaeo-diplomacy: US gives million-dollar cup back to Iran - NBC News.com
The US appears very serious and pleased with the diplomatic situation regarding Iran. I hope this translate into more serious talks about Iran's nuclear program.
The ceremonial drinking vessel from the 7th century B.C., cast in the shape of a winged griffin, has been sitting in a warehouse in New York for years. And for years, U.S. officials have been saying they couldn't return it to Iran until relations between Washington and Tehran were normalized. "This piece can't go back," the New York Post quoted James McAndrew, senior special agent in charge of cultural property for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, as saying in 2010.
On Wednesday, the piece went back.
"It is considered the premier griffin of antiquity, a gift of the Iranian people to the world, and the United States is pleased to return it to the people of Iran," the U.S. State Department said.
Federal authorities say a New York art dealer named Hicham Aboutaam brought the Pre-Achaemenid artifact into the United States in 2000, and provided Customs officials with an invoice falsely claiming that the piece came from Syria. Aboutaam negotiated a deal to sell the artifact to a collector for $950,000 but when federal agents caught wind of the sale, they seized the artifact and arrested Aboutaam on smuggling charges in 2003."
Archaeo-diplomacy: US gives million-dollar cup back to Iran - NBC News.com
The US appears very serious and pleased with the diplomatic situation regarding Iran. I hope this translate into more serious talks about Iran's nuclear program.
