Trump attacks Clinton over $400 million Iran payment

[DonViejo]

Source: Politico

By NICK GASS 08/03/16 06:51 AM EDT

Donald Trump is ripping into Hillary Clinton anew over news that the United States government covertly sent $400 million to Iran in January that coincided with the release of four American prisoners, although President Barack Obama's administration has hit back at any notion of a quid pro quo.

"Our incompetent Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, was the one who started talks to give 400 million dollars, in cash, to Iran. Scandal!" Trump tweeted Wednesday morning, following a Wall Street Journal report published Tuesday evening that cited U.S. and European officials, as well as congressional staff briefed on the details of the operation after the fact. As former secretary of state, Clinton has claimed credit for bringing Iran to the bargaining table through sanctions.

The previously unreported $400 million sent in January was the first installment of the White House's $1.7 billion settlement with Iran over a failed arms deal signed with Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi shortly before he was deposed in the 1979 revolution.

“As we’ve made clear, the negotiations over the settlement of an outstanding claim…were completely separate from the discussions about returning our American citizens home,” State Department spokesman John Kirby told the Journal. “Not only were the two negotiations separate, they were conducted by different teams on each side, including, in the case of The Hague claims, by technical experts involved in these negotiations for many years.”


-snip-


Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2016/08/iran-400-million-payment-trump-clinton-226605

[Peregrine Took]

1. Trump tossed a life preserver.....will it keep him afloat?

Anything to grab back the negative news cycle.

[glennward]

33. Lifesaver? PROCEED...

[MynameisBlarney]

2. Oh for fucks sake.

Trump and the rest of the GOTP are all morons, at best.

This "scandal" is a big ol' nothingburger.

[ffr]

3. A 1979 settlement? I think the biggest News is why was the contract honored?

When the Shah was no longer in power.

Not an issue, but I'm sure Drumpf will find a way to turn it into a HRC asset.

[truebluegreen]

5. "...the first installment of the White House's $1.7 billion settlement with Iran

over a failed arms deal signed with Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi shortly before he was deposed in the 1979 revolution."

Maybe 'cause our word is our bond? Or should be?






Not sure what is funny.

[jberryhill]

27. Tell me... Whose money is it?

The money came from Iran. It belongs to Iran. They have an elected government there.

It wasn't the Shah's personal money. It was money that belonged to Iran.

No, we don't just keep money that isn't ours.

[olddad56]

31. The contarct was not honored on the part of the US, Iran paid for the weapons but US backed out,

We have kept Iran's money all of this time. It was never our money. We are starting to pay it back.

[molova]

4. The 400 million were related to a 1979 deal

As the article itself makes clear.

[jberryhill]

6. "Previously unreported" my ass

The specific $400 million figure was reported in January:

http://www.cnn.com/2016/01/17/politics/us-pays-iran-1-7-billion/

Iran had set up a $400 million trust fund for such purchases, which was frozen along with diplomatic relations in 1979. In settling the claim, which had been tied up at the Hague Tribunal since 1981, the U.S. is returning the money in the fund along with "a roughly $1.3 billion compromise on the interest," the statement said.

[cstanleytech]

7. Though to be honest I do not personally believe they deserved to earn any interest at all

for the whole holding of hostages but *shrug* it is what it is and if the US government agreed to it then the US is obligated to pay it to them.

[jberryhill]

8. There is still a claims fund from other assets, and private litigation by victims

This is one tiny slice of a larger picture.

It's old news that they are recycling to change the conversation.

[cstanleytech]

11. Oh I know full well that they are hoping to build this nothing into something because

they know they fucked up by supporting a bigoted and racist candidate for president.

[BlueMTexpat]

12. VERY old news at heart

although this payment was part of a recent settlement to break the 35-year-long stalemate between the US and Iran now that we are "friends" again.

There are still issues being negotiated at the Iran-US Claims Tribunal in The Hague. http://www.iusct.net/

But most of these GOP yahoos - and our clueless media - have no idea of the context. So, as usual, they make sh** up.

[6chars]

19. They gave us interest on the hostages

Last edited Wed Aug 3, 2016, 08:05 PM - Edit history (1)

They returned the 5 american prisoners on top of the original 51 hostages at the embassy!

[BlueMTexpat]

9. This $400 million payment was part of a more recent settlement agreed

to resolve issues outstanding from the Algiers Accords (negotiated by Warren Christopher to resolve the Iran Hostage Crisis) because Raygun did NOT honor the spirit of the Accords. The issues have been litigated in The Hague for the past 35 years and anyone with a modicum of legal sense knew that they could not be fully satisfied by other than political agreement between the US and Iran. See Algiers Accords: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Algiers_Accords

The GOP certainly has a short memory because they already had hissy fits over the same thing earlier this year. It's basically old news. But anything to distract from the train wreck of Don the Con.

See, e.g., from January 2016: U.S. Payment of $1.7 Billion to Iran Raises Questions of Ransom http://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-payment-of-1-7-billion-to-iran-raises-questions-of-ransom-1453421778

The $1.7 billion financial settlement ended a 35-year legal saga that centered on a purchase of U.S. arms by Iran’s last monarch, Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, that were never delivered because of the Iranian revolution in 1979.

[apnu]

10. So Trump is mad at Hillary for making good on one of Reagan's promises?

The world is now sideways.

[BlueMTexpat]

13. Actually, Hillary likely had nothing to do

with this particular agreement.

It was likely negotiated through the Kerry State Department Office of International Claims and Investment Disputes (L/CID - or as some of us who used to work there whimsically called it - "El Cid.&quot (http://www.state.gov/s/l/c3433.htm), in coordination with MANY other interested government parties, notably including the Department of Defense and the Department of the Treasury, especially OFAC (the DoT Office of Foreign Assets Control - https://www.treasury.gov/about/organizational-structure/offices/Pages/Office-of-Foreign-Assets-Control.aspx).

But yes, Trump's world is indeed sideways - if not upside-down.

[randome]

21. Is the 'L' for 'International'?

[hr][font color="blue"][center]Birds are territorial creatures.
The lyrics to the songbird's melodious trill go something like this:
"Stay out of my territory or I'll PECK YOUR GODDAMNED EYES OUT!"[/center][/font][hr]

[BlueMTexpat]

23. It stands for "Legal" - signifying

that the Office falls under the purview of the Office of the Legal Adviser. http://www.state.gov/s/l/

The Office of the Legal Adviser furnishes advice on all legal issues, domestic and international, arising in the course of the Department's work. This includes assisting Department principals and policy officers in formulating and implementing the foreign policies of the United States, and promoting the development of international law and its institutions as a fundamental element of those policies.

The Office is organized to provide direct legal support to the Department of State's various bureaus, including both regional and geographic offices (those which focus on specific areas of the world) and functional offices (those which deal with specific subject matters such as economics and business, international environmental and scientific issues, or internal management).

[randome]

24. Mystery solved. Thanks.

[hr][font color="blue"][center]Birds are territorial creatures.
The lyrics to the songbird's melodious trill go something like this:
"Stay out of my territory or I'll PECK YOUR GODDAMNED EYES OUT!"[/center][/font][hr]

[BlueMTexpat]

25. No prob. eom

[apnu]

29. Thanks for that.

The whole thing smells like much ado about nothing.

[BlueMTexpat]

32. As usual, it is. eom

[jberryhill]

28. Uh no

Reagan was not president on January 19, 1981.

[onehandle]

14. Trump is just jealous because that's more money than he will ever have. nt

[mrsv]

15. Media Sucks

I'm so sick of msm....CNN reported this story in January and now are acting as though it's a new story....msm are the ringmasters for our political circus...fu@k them!

[jtuck004]

16. We give $400 million to Iran, the real estate swindler thinks he deserves a purple heart.

It's just coincidence.

[Lulu KC]

17. I knew it!

I think I'm developing ESP. I predicted yesterday that this would be a headline.

I want to spend my energy supporting Hillary, but I can't turn away from the accident on the road.

[randome]

22. Careful. If that ESP thing works out, you may find yourself inside Trump's mind!

[hr][font color="blue"][center]Birds are territorial creatures.
The lyrics to the songbird's melodious trill go something like this:
"Stay out of my territory or I'll PECK YOUR GODDAMNED EYES OUT!"[/center][/font][hr]

[Lulu KC]

26. Eek!

[truthisfreedom]

18. Gurgling tweet from a drowning candidate

Hey trump, 1979 called and they want their news back.

[TexasBushwhacker]

20. Donald can only think 140 characters n/t

[etherealtruth]

30. are they claiming Clinton orchestrated this ....it makes no sense....?

Wasn't Kerry SoS ....and didn't he negotiate this?