The United States paid Iran $1.7 billion in cash earlier this year, most of which was taxpayer money, around the same time that the Islamic Republic released several American prisoners, as first reported by the Associated Press.
Administration officials have rejected charges that the payment was for ransom, and have said that the money, of which $400 million was an initial payment and $1.3 billion was accrued interest, represents a settlement for a decades-old arms deal gone awry.
https://www.weeklystandard.com/jenna-lifhits/obama-administration-paid-iran-17-billion-in-cash