Royce Calls for Kerry to Explain the Release of Americans from Iran

Ed Royce, the Republican Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, has asked the U.S. Secretary of State to provide explanations regarding the negotiations for the release of American prisoners from Iran and the simultaneous release of these prisoners with the payment of $1.7 billion to Tehran. According to Reuters, this senior congressional representative, on February 3, requested in a letter to John Kerry to explain why the payment of $1.7 billion for a suspended arms purchase agreement from Iran coincided with the release of American prisoners. The unexecuted arms purchase agreement prior to the revolution in Iran amounted to $400 million, which the U.S. government has stated has accrued $1.3 billion in interest due to delays. The payment to Iran was raised at the same time that the nuclear agreement between Tehran and six world powers was implemented, and American prisoners in Iran and a group of Iranian-Americans in the U.S. were released. Royce has asked Kerry to provide a list of all official negotiators with Iran regarding the suspended agreement, the release of prisoners, and the nuclear agreement by February 17 (two weeks from now). John Kerry and Jason Rezaian, a Washington Post reporter, after his release, have also requested an analysis of the agreement regarding the $1.7 billion payment from a legal perspective, the timeline of negotiations on this matter, and an explanation of how the interest due to delays was calculated. Royce states in his letter that 'the coincidence of this payment to Iran and the release of prisoners raises concerns for some that this amount was, in fact, a 'ransom'.' Previously, both the U.S. Secretary of State and the Iranian Foreign Minister had stated that the simultaneous release of a group of prisoners in Iran and the U.S. and the implementation of the JCPOA was coincidental. John Kirby, the spokesperson for the U.S. State Department, in response to Royce's letter, stated that John Kerry would respond to it. Mr. Kirby did not provide further details regarding the timing and manner of Kerry's response. Before Royce, at the beginning of February, a group of Republican representatives in the U.S. had also called for an investigation into the payment of $1.7 billion. At the same time, the Associated Press quoted a spokesperson for the U.S. State Department as saying that this matter has no connection to the release of Amir Hekmati, Jason Rezaian, Saeed Abedini, and another American, and that no payment was made for their return. Iran and the U.S. released a group of prisoners on January 16, coinciding with the implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.