But Obama didn’t care.
WASHINGTON—Senior Justice Department officials objected to sending a plane loaded with cash to Tehran at the same time that Iran released four imprisoned Americans, but their objections were overruled by the State Department, according to people familiar with the discussions.
After announcing the release of the Americans in January, President Barack Obama also said the U.S. would pay $1.7 billion to Iran to settle a failed arms deal dating back to 1979. What wasn’t disclosed at the time was that the first payment would be $400 million in cash, flown in as the prisoners were released, as The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday.
The timing and manner of the payment raised alarms at the Justice Department, according to those familiar with the discussions.
“People knew what it was going to look like, and there was concern the Iranians probably did consider it a ransom payment,’’ said one of the people.