One of the Americans released by Iran on the same day $400 million in cash was paid by the U.S. government to the Iranian government says the plane they flew out on was held up for several hours waiting for another plane to land first.
Christian Pastor Saeed Abedini told Fox Business Network's Trish Regan on Thursday that he was taken out of his prison cell and brought to the airport in Tehran, where a plane was waiting for him and other freed American prisoners.
The group was originally told the plane would be ready to take off within 20 minutes, and the flight crew was all prepared, Abedini said, "but it took hours and hours."
When they asked the reason for the wait, Abedini said they were told, "we're waiting for another plane," and until that plane arrived they would not be allowed to depart.
They ended up sleeping at the airport and taking off at 10 a.m. the next day.
Later, when Regan guest hosted "Your World" on Fox News Channel, Fox News anchor Bret Baier told her the second plane sounded like it could have been the cargo plane loaded with $400 million worth of euros, Swiss francs, and other foreign currencies.
"Talk about evidence of a quid pro quo or ransom," Baier said. "This is circumstantial, but it does time up with what that man was experiencing on the plane. As you look at that plane sitting there waiting to go until the other one lands."
The Obama administration has denied the money paid to Iran on the same day the Americans were released was a ransom paid for their release as Republicans have charged, and that the timing of the two actions were coincidental. The money was a down payment on a longstanding legal dispute with Iran, according to the White House.
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