U.S. State Department Daily Press Briefing Ponders the 'Mechanics' of 400 million Iranian Funds Transfer and If Bitcoin Could Have Been Used ...
TRANSCRIPT: 1:42 p.m. EDT Extract Below:
Mark C. Toner
Deputy Spokesperson
Daily Press Briefing
Washington, DC
August 3, 2016
/SNIP/
QUESTION: Do you know why at that time you guys were not prepared to say that the 400 million that Iran was owed – why you were not prepared to say or describe the manner in which that was transferred to the Iranians?
MR TONER: Well, I think – and I’m still, frankly, not prepared to talk about the mechanics of how that transfer was made.
QUESTION: Okay. My question is: Then why?
MR TONER: Well --
QUESTION: What is the big secret here? Why is this such an issue?
MR TONER: Well, that’s a fair question. I think, look – I mean, first of all, let me tell you what I can say about it.
/SNIP/
MR TONER: No, I mean, what I can – what I would say is, without getting into the nitty-gritty details of how that payment was made, what I can say is that Iran was at that time, and frankly still is to some degree, relatively disconnected from the international financial system. And so that raised certain challenges in getting them their money. It couldn’t be done over wire transfers or any of – kind of the legal methods that – or the legal – the financial methods, rather, that are commonly used to transfer large sums of money. So, bearing in mind that, we had to figure out ways to get them the money. We don’t have – we’ve never re-established a direct banking relationship with Iran and still, frankly, don’t intend to do so.
QUESTION: Well --
MR TONER: So, I mean, those are the limitations under which we were operating to --
QUESTION: But it seems like there may be other ways to – I mean, were other ways considered and discarded? I mean, you could have sent them gold bars or something, I suppose, but – that’s pretty heavy, but – and I don’t know --
MR TONER: Although I don’t know that that’s any --
QUESTION: -- how much 400 million in euros and Swiss francs weighs, but there’s bitcoin --
/SNIP/
To continue reading , reveal "snips" and to see full text go here:
http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/dpb/2016/08/260813.htm
Also See:
Aug 2, 2016: Chairman Royce On Obama Admin Sending Plane Full Of Cash To Iran
https://foreignaffairs.house.gov/press-release/chairman-royce-obama-admin-sending-plane-full-cash-iran/
Bitcoin Magazine:
Apr 12, 2016: U.S. State Department Recommends Development of Blockchain and Distributed Ledgers to International Partners
https://bitcoinmagazine.com/articles/u-s-state-department-recommends-development-of-blockchain-and-distributed-ledgers-to-international-partners-1460482660
Dec 02, 2013: U.S. Air Force Building Bitcoin Payment Gateway
https://bitcoinmagazine.com/articles/u-s-air-force-building-bitcoin-payment-gateway-1386005214