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Obama Vows to Veto Bills to Bar 'Ransom' Payments to Iran

Obama Vows to Veto Bills to Bar 'Ransom' Payments to Iran

President Barack Obama (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

By    |   Thursday, 22 September 2016 11:53 AM EDT

The White House said President Barack Obama would veto two bills, including one barring the administration from making "ransom" payments to Iran for the release of American hostages, The Washington Times reports.

Referring to January's "ransom" payment of $400 million to Iran in cash, the White House clarified it was trying to solve a problem "that does not exist."

"The United States did not pay ransom to secure the return of our Americans from Iran. This bill would benefit Iran, not the United States," the statement read.

The administration's veto threat comes in the wake of a demand for investigations to unearth details about the cash exchange between U.S. and Iran.

Obama claimed the money was paid as the first installment of settlement of a 35-year-old arms deal, money that was owed in a $1.7 billion ruling by the claims tribunal at The Hague, according to The Washington Free Beacon.

Iran released four American prisoners at the same time the money was delivered.

The administration also issued another veto warning that would require public disclosure of assets of Iranian leaders, including Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

The House passed the latter bill, the Iranian Leadership Asset Transparency Act, on Wednesday night by a vote of 282-143.

The measures would target the Iran's supreme leader, its president and a raft of individuals linked to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, the Quds Force and the powerful Basij paramilitary group, according to the Daily Mail.

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The White House said President Barack Obama would veto two bills, including one barring the administration from making "ransom" payments to Iran for the release of American hostages, The Washington Times reports.
obama, vows, veto, bills, ransom, payments
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2016-53-22
Thursday, 22 September 2016 11:53 AM
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