President Barack Obama went on an extended rant Thursday about a story that detailed the transfer of $400 million in cash to Iran the same day four American hostages were freed from the country.
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“This wasn’t some nefarious deal”, Obama said during a news conference at the Pentagon.
He took the opportunity to defend the landmark nuclear accord that the U.S.-led global coalition reached with Iran more than a year ago.
Several Americans, who were in Iranian prisons earlier this year, were nonetheless released at the time of the payout and the conclusion of the nuclear agreement.
Mr. Ryan was referring to a Wall Street Journal report which stated that the USA secretly organised an “airlift of $400 million” in hard cash to Iran that coincided with the release of four Americans in Tehran.
For sure, one question hangs in the balance: Would the prisoners have been released without the conveniently timed cash payment?
Although he did not disclose the $400 million cash payment at the time, Obama did suggest the United States would give money to Iran.
Kerry also said he is unaware of any video showing the arrival of a pallet of cash in Iran, which Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump cited at a rally on Wednesday. Josh did a briefing on them. “The notion that we would somehow start now, in this high-profile way… and say to them that we don’t pay ransom defies logic”.
“If this report is true, it would only further prove that the Obama administration’s intentions in Iran are more than misguided – they are dishonorable”, Rooney said.
“And at the time, we explained that Iran had pressed a claim before an global tribunal about them recovering money of theirs that we had frozen”, Mr Obama said.
“While Israel’s view on the Iran deal remains unchanged, Prime Minister Netanyahu firmly believes that Israel has no greater ally than the United States”, a statement from the Office of the Prime Minister read.
Obama said that “hundreds” of Americans are held captive around the world, and that he has assigned officials across the government to work with their families to secure their release.
“The United States does not pay ransoms”, Kerry told a news conference in the Argentine capital Buenos Aires.
Schanzer noted that the Iranian interpretation of the payment as a ransom could be the reason why the Islamic Republic has arrested two more US citizens since the transaction. “And by all accounts, it has worked exactly the way we said it was going to work”.
Iran said it was owed the money from an unfulfilled contract for US fighter jets that the previous, U.S.-backed government had paid to the Pentagon. It was delivered to Iran on palettes aboard an unmarked plane. You know, the paparazzi doesn’t do so well over there, right?
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“I want to call the members of Congress and tell them to do their job”.
