Republicans have also suggested that the $1.7 billion delivery constituted a “ransom” payment because it was delivered on the same day that US prisoners were released by Iran.
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“Oh, I don’t have any question that Iran wants the money in cash because they wanted it faster than what a wire transfer would be and it’s fungible”, Lankford said. “It is unprecedented and reckless for the U.S.to be doling out billions to the Islamic Republic of Iran-under wraps and in cash-which is why our bill is necessary”. “Iran Air continues to use commercial airplanes to support the brutal Assad regime and supply the Islamic Republic’s global terror network”.
One source familiar with the matter said Iran prefers cash because it can more easily be used to fund terrorism.
“Think about this timeline: the US withdraws $400 million in cash from the Swiss National Bank and then physically transports it to another city to hand-off to Iranian officials-three days before Iran releases four American hostages”, Pompeo said. An additional $1.3 billion in interest was paid over the ensuing weeks. The official repeated what the president said at the time, that “we do not have a direct banking relationship with Iran, which means that we can not wire money directly to Iran”, but did not directly address either the July 2015 or April 2016 wire transfers.
But State Department spokesman John Kirby acknowledged two weeks later that the USA had refused to deliver the cash to Iran until its prisoners were wheels up from Tehran, a decision Kirby said the US made to “retain maximum leverage” over the Iranians. She called it a “starting point” that needs to be strengthened in an interview on WVOM earlier this month.
Trump says Yellen trying to help Obama MORE (D-N.J.) pointed to a 2000 law that limits U.S. payments to Iran until American terror victims with lawsuits against Iran conclude their cases. Some believe the Iranians may themselves have insisted the money be provided in the form of cash.
This week, the House is taking up a number of bills to help prevent Iran from receiving these under-the-table payments ever again and to make their finances more transparent.
Tzvi Kahn, a senior policy analyst at the non-profit Foreign Policy Initiative (FPI) in Washington, wrote Tuesday that “the circumstances surrounding the payment suggest that the Iranian regime likely demanded a cash payment – and that the administration, eager to secure the release of hostages in time for the nuclear deal’s Implementation Day, hurriedly consented to its demands”.
“Under U.S. court judgments, Iran owes $55.6 billion to American victims of Iranian terrorism”, Kirk told the Free Beacon.
The Committee on Rules is due to discuss the measure on Wednesday, ahead of full House consideration. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and Rep. Mike Pompeo (R-Kans.).
The initial $400 million payment to Iran was initiated on January 14, 2016, according to information sent by the Treasury Department to Pompeo.
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As a member of the House Financial Services Oversight Subcommittee, I had the unique opportunity of questioning members of this Administration about payments to Iran that went unnoticed until a Wall Street Journal story broke the news to the public in August.
