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<\/p>\nJEFF HAYNES \/ REUTERS\u00a0Sen. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.)\u00a0said President Obama was\u00a0\u201cacting like the drug dealer in chief\u201d\u00a0in paying a settlement to Iran.<\/h5>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\nA GOP senator fighting for his seat in a tight race said President Barack Obama was \u201cacting like the drug dealer in chief.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sen. Mark Kirk\u00a0(R-Ill.) told the State Journal-Register newspaper last week that a$400 million payment<\/a> to Iran was a \u201cransom<\/a>\u201d paid for the release of U.S. prisoners.<\/p>\nKirk said:<\/p>\n
\u201cWe can\u2019t have the president of the United States acting like the drug dealer in chief<\/a>, giving clean packs of money to a … state sponsor of terror. Those 500-euro notes will pop up across the Middle East. …. We\u2019re going to see problems in multiple (countries) because of that money given to them.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\nThe Obama administration said the payment was \u201cleverage<\/a>,\u201d not a ransom.<\/p>\nThe money was part of a fund Tehran used to purchase U.S. military equipment when the shah was in control of Iran; it was frozen after the Islamic Revolution.\u00a0The U.S. and Tehran settled a dispute over the money, with Washington agreeing to pay the $400 million, plus $1.3 billion in interest, but delayed that first payment in January by several hours \u201cto retain maximum leverage<\/a>\u201d until it ensured the release of the prisoners, The New York Times reported.<\/p>\n
A GOP senator fighting for his seat in a tight race said President Barack Obama was \u201cacting like the drug dealer in chief.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sen. Mark Kirk\u00a0(R-Ill.) told the State Journal-Register newspaper last week that a$400 million payment<\/a> to Iran was a \u201cransom<\/a>\u201d paid for the release of U.S. prisoners.<\/p>\n Kirk said:<\/p>\n \u201cWe can\u2019t have the president of the United States acting like the drug dealer in chief<\/a>, giving clean packs of money to a … state sponsor of terror. Those 500-euro notes will pop up across the Middle East. …. We\u2019re going to see problems in multiple (countries) because of that money given to them.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n The Obama administration said the payment was \u201cleverage<\/a>,\u201d not a ransom.<\/p>\n The money was part of a fund Tehran used to purchase U.S. military equipment when the shah was in control of Iran; it was frozen after the Islamic Revolution.\u00a0The U.S. and Tehran settled a dispute over the money, with Washington agreeing to pay the $400 million, plus $1.3 billion in interest, but delayed that first payment in January by several hours \u201cto retain maximum leverage<\/a>\u201d until it ensured the release of the prisoners, The New York Times reported.<\/p>\n