Two Centuries of Tribute

 

Echoes of the Corsairs: Why Trump’s Iran Strike Revives Jefferson’s Legacy

By Stanley Y. Klos, June 22, 2025

President Trump's ordering of U.S. strikes on three Iranian nuclear research sites was a bold and remarkable decision, long overdue. Since the ayatollahs seized power in 1979 and adopted the genocidal slogans “Death to America” and “Death to Israel,” the Islamic Republic of Iran has responded only to strength. True to their rhetoric, Iranian leaders have consistently funded terrorism across the globe. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei stands out as the only world leader to openly praise Hamas for its October 7th attack on Israel.

By taking decisive action following Israel’s successful dismantling of Iran’s air defenses and air force, President Trump seized a rare strategic opportunity to prevent a nuclear-armed Iran from further terrorizing the region and ultimately threatening the world. Though not without risk, this targeted strike was necessary to protect the security of the United States, Israel, and their allies.

What many Americans do not realize is that Iran’s tactics are not new. They echo the extortionist practices of the Muslim Barbary States in the late 18th century. After the United States gained independence in 1783, American merchant ships lost the protection of British treaties with Morocco, Algiers, Tunis, and Tripoli. Almost immediately after the ratification of the Treaty of Paris in 1784, Barbary corsairs began attacking U.S. vessels. In 1784, Morocco seized the brig Betsy, and in 1785, Algiers captured the Maria and Dauphin, enslaving their American crews and demanding ransom.

During the Confederation Congress era (1784 -1789), the fledgling United States lacked both a navy and the centralized authority to respond. Congress appointed Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, and Thomas Jefferson to negotiate peace. Only Morocco agreed to a treaty in 1786 without demanding tribute. The other states insisted on payments the U.S. could not afford. Though Congress authorized $80,000 for ransom, it failed to raise the funds, leaving American citizens in chains for years.

In 1786, Jefferson and Adams reported to Congress that the Tripolitan envoy justified the piracy on religious grounds:

“It was written in their Koran, that all nations who should not have acknowledged the Prophet were sinners, whom it was the right and duty of the faithful to plunder and enslave; and that every Mussulman who was slain in this warfare was sure to go to Paradise.” - Letter to U.S. Foreign Secretary John Jay, March 28, 1786

With the ratification of the U.S. Constitution, America finally had the power to act. Congress authorized a navy in 1794, and that same year negotiated a treaty with Algiers, securing the release of 115 American captives in exchange for over $1 million in cash, naval stores, and annual tribute. Treaties with Tripoli (1796) and Tunis (1797) followed, each requiring regular payments to secure peace.

President Thomas Jefferson broke this cycle in 1801 by refusing Tripoli’s increased demands, launching the First Barbary War (1801–1805), and demonstrating that only strength—not appeasement—ensures freedom from extortion.

Sadly, the U.S. reverted to tribute in the modern era. Here are just three examples, along with Israel’s imbalanced 2025 prisoner exchanges:

1.    1981 - Advanced U.S. weapons were secretly sold to Iran during the Iran-Contra Affair in exchange for American hostages—effectively a ransom through arms.

2.    2016 – The Obama administration transferred $1.7 billion to Iran, coinciding with the release of American prisoners, widely viewed as a cash-for-hostages deal.

3.    2023 – The Biden administration unfroze $6 billion in Iranian assets in return for five detained Americans—again criticized as modern tribute.

4.    2025 – Approximately 18 Israeli hostages held since the October 7th attacks were exchanged for 583 Palestinian prisoners—a staggering 1:32 ratio.

Now, President Trump, in the spirit of Jefferson, has decisively rejected these appeasement tactics. His strategic bombing of Iran’s nuclear facilities represents a return to a doctrine of strength, sending a clear message to tyrants that American lives, sovereignty, and principles are not for sale.

Bravo, Mr. President, thanks for ending a 240-Year Muslim tribute racket.

Edited: ChatGPT, OpenAI, June 22, 2025