Different lie, different day.
That sum was actually part of a $1.7 billion settlement to Iran for a decades-long legal dispute that was before an international tribunal in The Hague, according to State Department spokesman John Kirby.
"As we've made clear, the negotiations over the settlement of an outstanding claim at the Hague Tribunal were completely separate from the discussions about returning our American citizens home," Kirby said in a statement. "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."
The State Department formally announced the settlement terms on Jan. 17 — a day after the
four Americans were freed.
$400M Payment to Iran Not a Ransom: White House