FLASHBACK: When Iran Humiliated U.S. Sailors and Obama Sent Pallets of Cash
On January 12, 2016, while Barack Obama was still President, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) seized a U.S. Navy boat in the Persian Gulf.
Iran quickly released footage that shocked Americans: U.S. sailors kneeling on the deck, some in tears, forced into surrender positions at gunpoint. The images went viral across the world, humiliating the United States military on the global stage.
Just five days later — on January 17, 2016 — the Obama administration authorized a controversial transaction: $400 million in pallets of cash flown to Iran. Shortly after, an additional $1.3 billion was delivered through further financial channels.
The timing raised outrage and suspicion. To critics, it looked like a ransom payment for the release of U.S. hostages. The Obama White House insisted it was a settlement over an old arms deal, but the public perception was clear: America had been humiliated, and Iran walked away with billions in U.S. cash.
This episode remains one of the most controversial moments of Obama’s presidency — a memory many Americans have not forgotten.
