Obama Admin Paid Iran $1.7 Billion Entirely in Foreign Currency

In typical Obama administration fashion, the White House passed the buck and said that the only reason it paid the money was because it expected The Hague to order the US to pay an even bigger amount to Iran. Man, how convenient for Iran that would be, earning billions of dollars in owed money just after Obama made his deal with them:

Two planeloads full of Swiss francs, euros, and other currencies followed the initial cash payment to Iran to settle the debt dating back to 1979, the Obama administration confirmed. The planes flew on January 22 and February 5 from Europe, the White House reportedly said in a briefing it gave lawmakers after they returned from their summer recess.

Earlier the US Department of State said the money was transferred through a third party in 13 separate payments of $99,999,999.99, with the final payment amounting to about $10 million. The administration however did not reveal that the interest settlement was in cash like that of the original debt.

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“The Obama administration said it decided to cover the debt because it expected to lose arbitration in The Hague and be ordered to pay as much as $10 billion due to accumulated interest. Washington and Tehran agreed on a $1.7 billion settlement, which includes $400 million of original debt and $1.3 billion of interest.

The release of US prisoners coincided with the signing of a breakthrough deal between Iran and six leading world powers, which addressed concerns over Iran’s controversial nuclear program. Many Republicans, and some officials from Israel, criticized the Obama administration for signing the deal, saying it was bad.

A bill introduced in Congress by Republican lawmakers on Tuesday would block the US Treasury Department from making any payments to Iran until it returns the $1.7 billion it received to the US and to citizens who the US considers victims of Iran-sponsored terrorism.

‘President Obama’s disastrous nuclear deal with Iran was sweetened with an illicit ransom payment and billions of dollars for the world’s foremost state sponsor of terrorism,’ Senator Marko Rubio, who sponsored the bill, said.

‘The US government should not be in the business of negotiating with terrorists and paying ransom money in exchange for the release of American hostages,’ he added.”

Source: RT