Obama Defends $400 Million Payment to Iran

08-04-2016

"This wasn't some nefarious deal," President Barack Obama said Thursday about the delivery of $400 million to Iran in January.

The large sum of money was flown into Iran just as four Americans, jailed in the Islamic Republic on trumped up charges, were being relased.

The coincidence of the timing is leading to questions about whether the Obama administration broke U.S. policy and paid ransom to Iran in exchange for the prisoners.

Obama is defending the $400 million transaction, saying it's proof the Iran nuclear deal is working.

"We had to give the Iranians cash because we don't have a banking relationship with Iran - we couldn't send a check or wire the money," he said.

The payment, he says, was part of an old dispute over a failed military deal dating back decades - before the Islamic Revolution in 1979 which put the current regime in power.

Iran had contracted to buy military equipment from the United States which it never received after the revolution.

Obama says once a line of communication was opened between the U.S. and Iran during nuclear talks, other matters - like the $400 million in dispute - were discussed.

The president defended the transaction while speaking at a press conference at the Pentagon where he had convened a meeting with his National Security Council.

Soon, Republican nominee Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton will receive classified briefings, giving them access to sensitive information about national security threats and the U.S. military posture.

Obama has said he doesn't think Trump is fit to be president. When asked whether he was worried about Trump having access to such material, Obama said simply that those who want to be president need to start acting like it.

"That means being able to receive these briefings and not spread them around," he said.

The purpose of his Pentagon meeting was to discuss the fight against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.

Obama says there have been gains in weakening ISIS, but he conceded that the extremist group still poses a threat to the United States as it shifts its tactics to carrying out attacks elsewhere around the world. While those attacks may result in less carnage, Obama said ISIS knows they still create "the kinds of fear and concern that elevates their profile."

He says homegrown terrorists continue to be a major concern and urged Americans to be vigilant.

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