john harrison

@ljayes Love your work on Skynews, here is details from Grok on the $1.7b to Iran: es, Trump's reference to the Obama administration flying $1.7 billion in cash to Iran is essentially accurate in its core details, though the full $1.7 billion figure combines multiple transfers and the payments were in foreign currencies (euros, Swiss francs, and others), not U.S. dollars. Background and Details This was not a direct "gift" under the 2015 Iran nuclear deal (JCPOA). It settled a decades-old legal claim at the Iran-U.S. Claims Tribunal in The Hague. Before the 1979 Iranian Revolution, Iran paid the U.S. about $400 million for military equipment that was never delivered after the Shah was overthrown. Iran pursued the claim (principal plus interest) for years. The Obama administration negotiated a settlement for $1.7 billion total: the original ~$400 million principal plus ~$1.3 billion in negotiated interest (far less than what a full tribunal ruling might have awarded). Timing: The first installment of $400 million (in foreign cash on wooden pallets) was delivered on January 17, 2016—the same day Iran released four American prisoners (including journalist Jason Rezaian) as part of a separate prisoner swap. The Obama administration initially described the events as coincidental but later acknowledged using the payment timing as "leverage" to ensure the prisoners' safe release. Subsequent payments: The remaining $1.3 billion was sent in additional cash installments in late January and early February 2016. Why cash? U.S. sanctions isolated Iran from the international banking system, making wire transfers difficult or unreliable. Officials said cash (procured via central banks in Switzerland and the Netherlands, then converted) ensured immediate, guaranteed delivery as required by the settlement. No U.S. dollars were used, to comply with sanctions rules.