Some Obama administration officials opposed $400 million cash shipment to Iran


On Tuesday, The Wall Street Journal reported that the U.S. flew a plane carrying $400 million in cash to Iran at the same time Iran released four jailed Americans in January, and on Wednesday, The Journal said that some officials in the Justice Department objected to the timing of the payment, the first installment of a $1.7 billion settlement of a failed arms deal dating back to 1979. Republicans hammered the Obama administration on Wednesday, suggesting the payment was ransom for the Americans — which would be a violation of U.S. policy — but the White House insisted that there was absolutely no link between the payment and the prisoner exchange.
Both the prisoner swap and $1.7 billion settlement were negotiated by the State Department, and Justice Department officials did not object to either deal, considering the settlement a good deal for America, The Journal said, citing "people familiar with the discussions." But the Justice officials were reportedly concerned that delivering pallets of cash at the same time as U.S. prisoners were released would send the wrong signal to Iran, and to others who might seize American citizens. "People knew what it was going to look like, and there was concern the Iranians probably did consider it a ransom payment," one unidentified source told The Wall Street Journal. You can watch State Department spokesman John Kirby respond to questions about the payment in the video below. Peter Weber
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
The best shows to see at Edinburgh Fringe 2025
The Week Recommends The world's biggest arts festival is back with an incredible line-up
-
Wonsan-Kalma: North Korea's new 'mammoth' beach resort
Under the Radar Pyongyang wants to boost tourism but there won't be many foreign visitors to Kim Jong Un's 'pet project'
-
The 5 best TV reboots of all time
The Week Recommends Finding an entirely new cast to play beloved characters is harder than it looks
-
AI scammer fakes Rubio messages to top officials
Speed Read The unknown individual mimicked Rubio in voice and text messages sent to multiple government officials
-
SCOTUS greenlights Trump's federal firings
speed read The Trump administration can conduct mass federal firings without Congress' permission, the Supreme Court ruled
-
New tariffs set on 14 trading partners
Speed Read A new slate of tariffs will begin August 1 on imports from Japan, South Korea, Thailand and more
-
Elon Musk launching 'America Party'
Speed Read The tech mogul promised to form a new political party if Trump's megabill passed Congress
-
Judge blocks Trump's asylum ban at US border
Speed Read The president violated federal law by shutting down the US-Mexico border to asylum seekers, said the ruling
-
Thai court suspends prime minister over leaked call
Speed Read Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra has been suspended, pending an ethics investigation
-
Senate passes GOP megabill after Alaska side deal
The pivotal yes vote came from Sen. Lisa Murkowski, whose support was secured following negotiated side deals for her home state Alaska
-
Trump sues LA over immigration policies
Speed Read He is suing over the city's sanctuary law, claiming it prevents local law enforcement from cooperating with federal immigration authorities