8 Oct 2024
The US government did not transfer $400 million to Iran in exchange for the release of four US citizens, US State Department spokesman John Kirby said Wednesday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) The Wall Street Jounral reported earlier inthe day that wooden pallets stacked witheuros, Swiss francs and other currencies were flown intoIran onan unmarked cargo plane, asthe US law forbids transacting US dollars withIran. At the same time, the United States was negotiating a prisoner exchange withIran, raising doubts amongRepublicans that money had changed hands toguarantee the release asa ransom payment."The funds that were transferred toIran were related solely tothe settlement ofa long-standing claim atthe U.S.-Iran Claims Tribunal atThe Hague," Kirby said, asquoted bythe Fox News.

In January, the United States transferred the first installment ina $1.7 billion settlement the Obama administration reached withIran toresolve a failed 1979 arms deal dating frombefore the Iranian Revolution, which was negotiated inthe framework ofthe Iran-US Tribunal. According tothe Wall Street Journal, the Obama administration actually secretly organized an airlift of $400 million worth ofcash toIran that coincided withthe January release offour Americans detained inTehran.
"The negotiations overthe [arms deal] settlementwere completely separate fromthe discussions aboutreturning our American citizens home. Not only were the two negotiations separate, they were conducted bydifferent teams oneach side," Kirby added.


The four US nationals who had been arrested and imprisoned inIran were released onJanuary 16. In return, the Obama administration agreed torelease seven Iranians either jailed or facing charges inthe United States.

The Iran-United States Claims Tribunal was established inJanuary 1981 toresolve the hostage crisis, buthas continued its work since. To date, the Tribunal has finalized over3,900 cases.

By Sputnik News

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