On Top Of The News Email:news@arubatoday.com website: www.arubatoday.com Tel:+297 582-7800 Friday, August 5, 2016

President Barack Obama talks about the war on terrorism and efforts to degrade and destroy the Islamic State group, during a news conference at the Pentagon in
Washington, Thursday, Aug. 4, 2016.

                                                                                                                                                                                                 (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Obama Denies $400M Payment to Iran was Ransom 

JOSH LEDERMAN             payment to Iran was ran-     has allowed for progress on  to the Iranian government  failed military equipment
MATTHEW LEE               som to secure the release    other matters.               in January, at the same    deal dating to the 1970s,
Associated Press          of four Americans jailed in  “This wasn’t some nefarious  time the nuclear deal was  before the Islamic revolu-
WASHINGTON (AP) — Presi-  Tehran.                      deal,” Obama said during     settled and the Americans  tion in 1979.
dent Barack Obama vigor-  He defended the transac-     a news conference at the     were released. The pay-
ously denied on Thursday  tion as evidence that the    Pentagon.                    ment was part of a de-           Continued on Page 4
that a $400 million cash  nuclear accord with Iran     The money was delivered      cades-old dispute over a