Washington (AFP) - The United States is to pay back Iran a $400 million debt and $1.3 billion in interest relationship to the Islamic revolution, Assistant of State John Kerry said Sunday.
The pay back, which settles a suit introduced under an global legal tribunal, is individual from the tens of billions of dollars in frozen international accounts that Iran can now access after the end of nuclear supports.But the moment of the statement, one day after the execution of the Iran nuclear accord, will be seen as directing to a broader cleaning of the decks in between the old foes.
US President Barack Obama protected the settlement in a public report from the White House, saying it was for "much less than the quantity Iran sought." "For the United States, the agreement could save us billions of dollars that could have been followed by Iran. There was no advantage to the United States in dragging this out," he said.
Kerry said the claim was in the amount of a $400 million believe in fund used by Iran to buy military devices from the United States prior to the break in diplomatic ties, plus $1.3 billion in interests.
Iranian-US ties broke down in 1979 after revolutionaries -- angered at US support for the Iran's deposed monarch -- stormed the American embassy and took hostages. In 1981, the Iran-US Claims tribunal was established in The Hague to settle excellent debts between the two nations, and Tehran filed a suit demanding the arms payment be came back.
Kerry defined Sunday's payment of the 35-year-old trust as a "fair settlement." But the debt deal instantly drew the ire of those in Washington who think the Obama administration had currently made too many discounts to secure the nuclear deal.
"Lining the pockets of the world's major state sponsor of terrorism is not a technique that will keep America safe, and Hillary Clinton should immediately condemn this payment," said a report from Reince Priebus, chairman of the Republican National Committee.
“While it is a relief to see unjustly held Americans returned home to their families," Priebus said, "the Clinton-Obama nuclear agreement gives Iran too much in return for too little."
Kerry, in defending the agreement, said that "Iran's recovery was fixed at a reasonable rate of interest and therefore Iran is unable to pursue a bigger tribunal award against us, preventing US taxpayers from being obligated to a larger amount of money."
He went on to say all of the US claims against Iran at the tribunal had long been settled and had netted American companies and individuals $2.5 billion.But Kerry added there are more Iranian claims pending and that the United States would try to negotiate to resolve them.
The pay back, which settles a suit introduced under an global legal tribunal, is individual from the tens of billions of dollars in frozen international accounts that Iran can now access after the end of nuclear supports.But the moment of the statement, one day after the execution of the Iran nuclear accord, will be seen as directing to a broader cleaning of the decks in between the old foes.
Kerry said the claim was in the amount of a $400 million believe in fund used by Iran to buy military devices from the United States prior to the break in diplomatic ties, plus $1.3 billion in interests.
Kerry defined Sunday's payment of the 35-year-old trust as a "fair settlement." But the debt deal instantly drew the ire of those in Washington who think the Obama administration had currently made too many discounts to secure the nuclear deal.
"Lining the pockets of the world's major state sponsor of terrorism is not a technique that will keep America safe, and Hillary Clinton should immediately condemn this payment," said a report from Reince Priebus, chairman of the Republican National Committee.
Kerry, in defending the agreement, said that "Iran's recovery was fixed at a reasonable rate of interest and therefore Iran is unable to pursue a bigger tribunal award against us, preventing US taxpayers from being obligated to a larger amount of money."
