U.S. State Dept. admits payment of $400 million to Iran during release of Pastor Saeed Abedini and other prisoners

U.S. State Department spokesman John Kirby admitted on Thursday that the U.S. government released $400 million in cash to Iran for the release of four American prisoners including Pastor Saeed Abedini. Kirby said that they delayed releasing the money for several hours for leverage to make sure that the U.S. citizens were released the same day.

At a press conference held on Aug. 4, U.S. President Barack Obama denied paying ransom for the hostages. "We do not pay ransom. We didn't here, and we won't in the future," he declared at the conference. The State Department's announcement came after a report by the Wall Street Journal on Aug. 3 revealed that the Justice Department objected to the cash payment as the four Americans were released.

In another report from the Wall Street Journal, U.S. officials revealed that the Iranian government was demanding the return of the $400 million that was deposited by the Shah into a Pentagon trust fund in 1979 to buy U.S. fighter jets. Lawmakers believe that the payment could be used to fund Iran's allies which includes Assad's regime and Hezbollah.

Senator Tom Cotton is concerned that payment sends a dangerous message to terrorists around the world. "It doesn't really matter though what President Obama says. It matters what the Iranians think and it matters what dictators and terrorists and gangsters all around the world think. And they clearly think that this was a ransom payment ... That's why it's so dangerous," Cotton told Fox News.

The United States had been negotiating with Iran since November 2014 before the prisoners were released. The four released prisoners — Abedini, Washington Post Tehran Bureau Chief Jason Rezaian, former U.S. Marine Amir Hekmati and businessman Nosratollah Khosrawi-Roodsari — were all born in Iran and held dual U.S.-Iranian citizenship.

While he was still in prison, Abedini wrote a public letter revealing that he was psychologically and physically tortured. Abedini's wife, Naghmeh, worked relentlessly for his release. However, Abedini revealed in an April interview with Christianity Today that his wife had filed for legal separation and a restraining order against him.