Explanation I heard: it was Iranian assets long “frozen”, and released as part of the “we’ll let you build a nuke, just not now” deal. There probably isn’t a good mechanism in place to transfer nearly a half-billion $$$ electronically to that long-blockaded country, and when asked how they’d like the money they likely said “small bills, multiple currencies”. So (assuming it was per prior asset seizure) technically it’s theirs, and the Obama is just giving it back.
Better be right, or he’s facing treason.
That’s the narrative. The reality is that the US transfers electronic funds to Iran regularly through the banking system. $400 million is peanuts to governments... but it’s a fortune to terrorist networks. That’s what makes this transaction so suspicious. Why cash? Why pallets of mixed cash in unmarked planes? Many other governments are trying to convert to e-cash economies to stop drug trafficking and terror because cash lets them move freely. Here, Obama gives the world’s largest terrorist sponsor $400 million in cash!
Not quite what I heard. Frozen assets are not taken, so no need to pay them back.
The real deal is Iran paid us for fighter jets. Then the Shah was deposed (a whole nother story) and the plane order canceled, but we had the cash. So we’ve been holding that money since ‘79. Decided to pay it back now to further sweeten the Iran deal.
Kerry probably told them we’d pay this back if they release the hostages. Trump made them look bad by pointing out the hostages should have been released as the first part of the deal. So this is why all the secrecy. It was technically a legal payment, but dufus Kerry had to use it to get the hostages released. Otherwise no need to pay them back.