In the News

During a Thursday meeting of the House Financial Services Committee, U.S. Rep. French Hill questioned officials about the Obama administration's decision to send $1.7 billion in cash to the Iranian regime.

Pallets of non-U.S. currency were delivered to Tehran earlier this year, money that settled decades-old claims involving weapons that were paid for but never delivered.

Diplomatic relations between the two countries were severed after the fall of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.

Lawmakers heard from Christopher Backemeyer, a State Department deputy assistant secretary for Iranian affairs, among others.

Although the administration officials who spoke were "helpful and informative," Hill expressed concern about the way the cash transactions were handled.

"It certainly gives the appearance of a ransom payment which I think enables ISIS and al-Qaida to claim that it was a ransom payment, and that's bad because it ... puts American interests at risk abroad," the Republican from Little Rock said.

Hill called it "poor judgment" to send cash.