U.S. officials defend Iran payment

WASHINGTON — The Obama administration on Friday defended its decision to make a $400-million US cash delivery to Iran contingent on the release of American prisoners, saying the payment wasn’t ransom because the Islamic Republic would have soon recouped the money one way or another.

In a conference call with reporters, senior administration officials said it made sense to use the money as leverage to ensure that four U.S. citizens were freed, especially as Washington was uncertain that Iran would live up to its word.

The administration’s defence came after the State Department outlined for the first time that the Jan. 17 repayment of money from a 1970s Iranian account to buy U.S. military equipment was connected to a U.S.-Iranian prisoner exchange on the same day. Previously, President Barack Obama and other officials had denied any such linkage.

The acknowledgement kicked off a torrent of Republican criticism, who declared it evidence of a quid pro quo that undermined America’s longstanding opposition to ransom payments.

“He denied it was for the hostages, but it was,” Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said in a speech Thursday night in Charlotte, North Carolina. “He said we don’t pay ransom, but he did. He lied about the hostages, openly and blatantly.”