White House denies paying ransom for American detainees in Iran

The Biden administration is defending its decision to pursue a prisoner swap with Iran. The deal clears the way for the release of five American citizens detained in Iran in exchange for five Iranians held in the U-S. Plus, 6-billion dollars in frozen Iranian money will be made available for Iran to use for humanitarian goods. The National Security Council’s John Kirby denies that it amounts to a ransom. But GOP Senators Cotton and Cruz have criticized the arrangement and accused the administration of “paying ransom to the world’s worst state sponsor of terrorism.”