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August 4, 2016

White House Denies $400 Million Cash Payment to Iran was Ransom
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The Obama administration said on Wednesday that $400 million in cash
paid to Iran the same day as the release of Americans detained there was
not a ransom, as some Republicans have charged. The five prisoners,
including Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian, were released in
January. The White House had announced before the prisoners' release
that it would send Iran $400 million in funds as part of the landmark
nuclear deal. The money has been owed to Iran since the 1970s, when the
U.S. refused to give them weapons Iran had already paid for, following
the Iranian revolution. But the timing of the transfer was only first
reported in The Wall Street Journal this week, fueling allegations it
was linked to the release of the prisoners.
Topics:Iran

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