The Obama administration said on Thursday it had delayed paying $400m in cash it owed Iran until it was sure that three American prisoners had already left Tehran.
In comments immediately seized upon by Republicans, state department spokesman John Kirby said the cash payment had been held back as “leverage” to ensure that the prisoners were actually released.
It was the first time the administration has acknowledged any connection between the $400m transfer, part of a decades-old dispute settlement, and the negotiations over the release of the prisoners.
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