NPR News:美媒爆奥巴马政府秘密空运4亿美金同伊朗换囚

We've been learning more about how far the Obama administration was willing to go to resolve disputes with Iran. When Iran released five Americans from prison in January, the U.S. cleared $1.7 billion in financial claims, and The Wall Street Journal reports that the first installment, $400 million, was sent in cash. NPR's Michele Kelemen has more.
MICHELE KELEMEN, BYLINE: It was a dramatic weekend back in mid-January. A nuclear deal formally took effect, giving Iran some relief from sanctions. Iran released five American prisoners, including Washington Post journalist Jason Rezaian. And now we're learning that the U.S. put $400 million in cash on a plane to Tehran. White House Spokesman Josh Earnest says there is a reason for that.
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OSH EARNEST: The United States does not have a banking relationship with Iran.
KELEMEN: That money, he says, was part of a settlement that could have been worse for American taxpayers.
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EARNEST: This $400 million is actually money that the Iranians had paid into a U.S. account in 1979 as part of a transaction to procure military equipment.
KELEMEN: The sale never went through because the shah of Iran was overthrown. The U.S. agreed to also pay $1.3 billion in interest. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump took to Twitter to denounce the deal, calling it a scandal and saying Democrat Hillary Clinton was the one who started the talks to give cash to Iran. Clinton was actually not secretary of state when that was negotiated. The House Foreign Affairs Committee chairman, Republican Ed Royce of California, accused the Obama administration of paying ransom. The White House denies that.
我们来详细了解一下为了解决同伊朗的争端，奥巴马政府愿意做到哪种地步。今年1月，伊朗释放5名美国人质，而美国将向伊朗支付17亿美元赔偿，据《华尔街日报》报道，4亿美元的首期付款是用现金交付的。NPR新闻的米歇尔·克莱门将带来详细报道。
米歇尔·克莱门连线：那是1月中旬一个充满戏剧性的周末。伊朗核协议正式实施，同时伊朗遭受的部分制裁得以解除。伊朗释放了5名美国人质，包括《华盛顿邮报》记者杰森·礼萨安。现在我们了解到，美国将4亿美元现金空运到了德黑兰。白宫发言人乔什·厄内斯特表示，这样做是有理由的。
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J乔什·厄内斯特：美国和伊朗之间没有银行关系。
克莱门：他说，这笔钱是和解协议的一部分，可能会对美国纳税人不利。
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厄内斯特：这4亿美元实际上是1979年时伊朗用于购买军事设备而打入美国账户的资金。
克莱门：那笔交易没有完成，因为当时伊朗国王被推翻。另外，美国还同意支付13亿美元利息。共和党总统候选人唐纳特·特朗普在推特上谴责这一协议，称这是丑闻，他还说民主党人希拉里·克林顿是其中一个参与向伊朗支付现金谈判的人。实际上，这个谈判进行时克林顿已经不再担任美国国务卿的职务。众议院外交事务委员会主席、来自加州的共和党议员艾德·罗伊斯指责奥巴马政府支付赎金。白宫否认了这一指责。

While the Obama administration says all these disputes were negotiated on different tracks, the timing was no coincidence, says Kenneth Katzman, an Iran expert with the Congressional Research Service.
KENNETH KATZMAN: There was I think a decision by the U.S. and Iran to settle these outstanding, irritating issues at once and try to, you know, clear the slate, so to speak.
KELEMEN: The trouble is, since then, Iranian authorities have arrested more Westerners. They're now holding three Iranian-Americans as well as dual nationals from the U.K. and Canada. Karim Sadjadpour of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace says the U.S. set a precedent back in January.
KARIM SADJADPOUR: The challenge always in dealing with the Iranian regime is that they'll never articulate up front what it is that they're looking for in exchange. Are they looking for cash? Are they looking for the release of their own prisoners? Are they looking for other things?
KELEMEN: There are some hints. Katzman points out that Iran wants to see more sanctions relief.
KATZMAN: The supreme leader mentioned this the other day in a speech, continues to talk about Iran, the Iranian people not feeling the benefits of the sanctions relief. And Iranian officials are linking this to the fact that many international banks remain hesitant to re-engage in Iran.
KELEMEN: There are also Iranian politics at play. Sadjadpour says the hardliners want to undercut Iran's more moderate president.
SADJADPOUR: The narrative of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard is that there are better bargainers than the Iranian foreign ministry, so the hardliners in Tehran want to show that they can get a lot more in return from the United States than the Iranian diplomats who negotiated the nuclear deal.
KELEMEN: And a plane full of cash plays right into that narrative. It also fires up politicians here who oppose the nuclear deal. Michele Kelemen, NPR News, Washington.
奥巴马政府表示，这些争议事件是在不同时间进行协商的，但是美国国会研究处的伊朗专家肯尼斯·盖兹曼表示，这个时间点并不是巧合。
肯尼斯·盖兹曼：我认为美国和伊朗决定同时解决悬而未决、令人厌烦的问题，换句话说，就是要一笔勾销。
克莱门：问题是，自那以后伊朗政府逮捕了更多的西方人。现在他们关押着三名伊朗裔美国人以及来自英国和加拿大的双重国籍者。卡内基国际和平研究院的卡利姆·萨迪加布表示，美国在1月份开了个先例。
卡利姆·萨迪加布：在和伊朗政权谈判时总会面临的挑战是，他们从来不事先说明他们想用什么来交换。他们是要现金吗？还是要释放伊朗囚犯？或是有其他要求？
克莱门：有一些线索。盖兹曼指出，伊朗希望解除更多的制裁。
盖兹曼：伊朗最高领袖曾在演讲中提到，伊朗人并没有感觉到解除制裁带来的好处。伊朗官员认为，这是因为许多国际银行仍在犹豫是否要重返伊朗。
克莱门：当然伊朗政治也在发挥作用。萨迪加布表示，强硬派想削弱伊朗较温和总统的力量。
萨迪加布：伊朗革命卫队认为，有比伊朗外交部更好的协商者，所以德黑兰的强硬派想证明，与协商核协议的伊朗外交人员相比，他们能从美国那里获得更多的回报。
克莱门：满满一飞机的现金恰好体现了这种说法。这点燃了反对伊朗核协议的美国官员的怒火。NPR新闻，米歇尔·克莱门华盛顿报道。