“It shall be the policy of the United States Government not to pay ransom or release prisoners for the goal of securing the release of United States citizens taken hostage overseas”, the legislation states.
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According to Wall Street Journal, the Obama administration briefed lawmakers about it yesterday.
Congressional officials told the Wall Street Journal that the remaining $1.3 billion was paid in two more installments delivered on January 22 and February 5, days after the initial release of prisoners.
Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) introduced legislation Tuesday to bar such payments to Iran in the future and reclaim the $1.7 billion the USA has paid, distributing it to victims of Iranian-backed terrorism.
According to two congressional aides, Treasury officials said in a Tuesday congressional briefing that after the USA made a $400 million cash payment to Iran on January 16 coinciding with the release of four American prisoners, it also paid out the remaining $1.3 billion of interest in cash, in two tranches on January 22 and February 5. “Iran should be held accountable, and the Obama administration’s misguided policies must be stopped”. At the time of the first payment, Donald Trump and other Republicans said the payment amounted to ransom, a charge the Obama administration vehemently denied, although it later admitted that it had delayed giving Iran control of the cash until the American hostages had safely departed Tehran. To avoid the ruling, the US government negotiated with Iran to pay $400 million plus the interest of $1.3 billion.
Officials of the Obama administration reportedly feared that a tribunal in the Hague could rule in favor of Iran and order the U.S.to pay $4 billion or more. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) asked why the administration had paid Iran its claim before Iran satisfied the VTVPA claims – which total $465 million plus interest.
Sanctions impair Tehran’s ability to receive payments using the global banking system.
Republicans have decried the payments as ransom, a claim the Obama administration has rejected.
The revelation comes amid renewed controversy over the alleged secret transaction, despite President Barack Obama clarifying that the payment was not some “nefarious deal”. The administration had previously declined to say if the interest was delivered to Iran in physical cash, as with the principal, or via a more regular banking mechanism. It continues to insist no ransom was paid.
Some Republican Senators are now mulling options to bar payments from the Judgment Fund, report said, adding that the Senate is planning to conduct hearings on the controversial Iran payments. “The American people know this is an unacceptable use of their taxpayer dollars and we wholeheartedly agree”.
“The details of why we settled for this amount are litigation sensitive”, said Lisa Grosh, a legal adviser in the State Department’s office of worldwide claims and investment disputes.
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161-a-11-(Representative Sean Duffy, R-Wis., chairman, House Financial Services subcommittee on Oversight and investigations, durting subcommittee hearing)-“difficult to believe”-Congressman Sean Duffy says it sure looks the USA paid ranson to win the freedom of hostages”.
