A video from an Iranian state television documentary has emerged purporting to show pallets of cash delivered to Iran by the U.S. in January. Republicans, including Donald Trump, have said the money was a ransom for five U.S. prisoners held by Iran. Last week, Trump claimed to have seen “top secret” video of the transfer before walking back his claim. The Obama administration said Wednesday the $400 million in cash paid to Iran in January was a pre-planned transfer that was part of the landmark nuclear deal. The money has been owed to Iran since the 1970s, when the U.S. refused to send weapons Iran had already paid for following the Iranian revolution. The new video does not appear to contradict that claim in any way. Trump’s criticism of Obama appears to be a reversal of his previous position regarding U.S. prisoners in Iran. Last year, Trump criticized Obama for making a deal with Iran that did not include the return of American prisoners there. This is Trump speaking at the first Republican debate in Cleveland, Ohio, one year ago.
Donald Trump: “Now, with Iran, we’re making a deal. You would say, 'We want him. We want him. We want our prisoners. We want all these things.' We don’t get anything. We’re giving them $150 billion plus. They are going to be—I’ll tell you what, if Iran was a stock, you folks should go out and buy it right now, because you’ll quadruple. This, what’s happening in Iran, is a disgrace, and it’s going to lead to destruction in large portions of the world.”