Obama: Payment of $400 million to Iran was previously stated and not confidential

Barack Obama, the President of the United States, criticized reports regarding 'paying ransom' to Iran for the release of Iranian-American prisoners, stating that the U.S. never pays ransom for hostages. He clarified that the payment of $400 million was announced in January. According to CNN, during a press conference at the Pentagon, Obama questioned why this news is being brought up now, reminding that they had previously stated in January that this money would be paid. He mentioned that Josh (Earnest, the White House spokesperson) had explained this matter. The U.S. President further noted that following the ruling of the International Court of Justice regarding Iran's frozen assets, lawyers and legal advisors recommended that this money be paid, otherwise, the U.S. would have to pay billions of dollars in damages to Iran in the future. Obama added that upon the advice of these advisors and lawyers, they agreed to make this payment to Iran. When the payment of $1.7 billion to Iran was finalized and confirmed in January, they were very transparent about it and it was not a confidential matter. According to NBC, the U.S. State Department announced on January 17 that this money had been paid to Iran. The U.S. President emphasized that they do not pay ransom for hostages. Many Americans are taken hostage around the world, and he meets with their families. He added that these families know that their policy is not to pay ransom to hostage-takers. Obama also stated that the reason they sent cash to Iran was that they had no financial relationship with Iran, and sending such money through the financial system would violate existing sanctions, which is why it had to be paid in cash. However, he emphasized that this payment had no connection to the release of the prisoners. The U.S. President also asserted that the nuclear agreement had yielded the expected results and that Iran had fulfilled its commitments so far. The Wall Street Journal reported on August 4 that the Obama administration sent $400 million in cash to Tehran on the same day that Iranian authorities released Iranian-American prisoners. This money was delivered to Iran in euros, Swiss francs, and other currencies. Meanwhile, Republican opponents of the Obama administration have recently criticized this action, deeming it as paying ransom to Iran, 'the world's largest state sponsor of terrorism,' in exchange for the release of American prisoners. Donald Trump, Paul Ryan, the Speaker of the House, Ed Royce, the Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and John McCain, a prominent Republican senator, have attacked the Obama administration on this issue and demanded explanations regarding the cash payment to Iran. In January of this year, coinciding with the release of four Iranian-American prisoners by Iran, the U.S. President stated that Washington would pay $1.7 billion as principal and late fees for a suspended arms purchase contract between Iran and the U.S. that was halted after the Islamic Revolution. The $400 million mentioned by the Wall Street Journal is the principal amount of this contract, and the United States must also pay $1.3 billion as late fees for it or has already done so.