Shamkhani: Iran's $400 Million Claim from the U.S. is Unrelated to Nuclear Negotiations

The Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council announced that the receipt of Iran's $400 million claim from the U.S. has 'nothing to do' with nuclear negotiations and that 'Iran's lawsuit in The Hague continues.' According to Iranian news agencies, Ali Shamkhani stated on Tuesday, August 9, that the $400 million paid by the U.S. is 'part of the account of military purchases from the previous regime, and our lawsuit in The Hague continues.' He referred to statements made regarding the issue of the return of this money during Robert McFarlane's visit to Iran and his opposition to this request, adding: 'The non-payment of the $400 million in 1985 forced the U.S. government to pay an amount equivalent to $1.7 billion as the principal and interest of Iran's claim.' Robert McFarlane, National Security Advisor to Ronald Reagan, and his aide, Oliver North, made an unannounced trip to Tehran in 1986, which has since been narrated differently by officials of the Islamic Republic. Shamkhani also related the statements of current and former U.S. officials regarding the payment of $400 million to Iran to 'electoral controversies.' He added: 'We prefer not to delve into the details of this case so that the presidential candidates in the chaotic electoral atmosphere in this country reveal their true nature more.' Donald Trump, a presidential candidate, and Republican representatives criticized the payment of $400 million to Iran last week. The Wall Street Journal first revealed the news of this amount being sent to Iran. In contrast, the U.S. Secretary of State and the Iranian Foreign Ministry denied any connection between the payment and the issue of the release of American prisoners in Iran, calling the timing of these actions with the Vienna nuclear agreement coincidental. Barack Obama, the U.S. President, also stated that this matter is not confidential and 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, billions of dollars in damages would need to be paid to Iran in the future. This $400 million is part of the $1.7 billion related to the repayment of a suspended arms contract after the revolution and the profits accrued from it over the years. Before discussions intensified in the U.S. on this issue, Iranian television announced on February 15 last year in a documentary titled 'The Rule of the Game' that Iran received $1.7 billion for the release of four Iranian-American citizens, which included the principal and interest of the $400 million from its assets that had been frozen in the U.S. 35 years ago. The film showed images indicating that $400 million in cash was transferred to Iran by plane, and the U.S. committed to pay part of the profit of this money and promised to pay the remaining profit as well. One day after the broadcast of this film, Hossein Jaberi Ansari, the then-spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, denied this report, stating that the prisoner exchange between Iran and the U.S. was coordinated by 'high-ranking officials of the country' and had no connection to the release of Iran's assets in the U.S. On January 16, coinciding with the implementation of the JCPOA, Iran and the U.S. agreed to release several citizens of both countries who were imprisoned in each other's countries. After the prisoner exchange, it became clear that this agreement was reached following negotiations that had taken place a year and a half prior. Meanwhile, the Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council stated on February 11 last year regarding the prisoner exchange between Iran and the U.S.: 'Republican rivals of the U.S. government sent a message not to release them, but we acted according to our own will.' The film broadcast on Iranian television last February also referenced the failure of Jimmy Carter, the Democratic U.S. President, to free diplomats and staff taken hostage at the U.S. embassy in Tehran during his presidency.