US Paid Iran $1.3 Billion Two Days after Ransom Payment

The State Department won’t say why it made thirteen separate payments of $99,999,999.99 to Iran, with the final payment of roughly $10 million in January.  The Obama Administration has denied that the $400 million was a ransom payment to release the hostages held by Iran, but the timing was irrefutable forcing them to claim it was leverage, but still not explaining why they paid cash.

President Barack Obama and other officials deny such claims, though they’ve struggled to explain why the U.S. paid in cash. President Obama said it was because the United States and Iran didn’t have a banking relationship after years of nuclear-related sanctions, but that wouldn’t rule out using intermediary banks that maintain relationship with both.

Briefing reporters last week, a senior U.S. official involved in the negotiations said the interest payments were made to Iran in a “fairly above-board way,” using a foreign central bank. But the official, who wasn’t authorized to be quoted by name and demanded anonymity, wouldn’t say if the interest was delivered to Iran in physical cash, as with the $400 million principal, or via a more regular banking mechanism.

The Treasury Department has an account called the Judgement fund which Congress has “permanently approved in the event it is needed” that the President can use of funds within the account for settlements, without needing congressional approval.

Iran, who takes Americans hostage and harasses U.S. ships in the gulf is not a nation which we should be doing any negotiating with, nor settling scores.  The money the U.S. has paid Iran will most likely be used to kill innocent people around the world.

Source: CBS News