Iranian television has broadcast what some say is purported footage of the $400 million pallets of cash that officials claim was part of the "expensive price" paid by the Obama administration to free several U.S. hostages.
The footage, which could not be independently verified, shows images of large stacks of hard currency and features claims that the Obama administration sent this money over as part of an effort to free several U.S. hostages. The White House vehemently denied these claims this week following new reports about the cash exchange.
BBC Persian reporter Hadi Nili posted the footage on Twitter, describing it as showing the "pallets of cash" and quoting officials as saying "this was just part of the 'expensive price' to release Americans."
The footage, which is from an Iranian documentary published a few months ago, contradicts claims by Obama administration officials maintaining that the payment was completely unrelated to the release of these U.S. hostages, despite the payment having been supplied on the same day these individuals were freed by Iran.
Iran experts who spoke to the Washington Free Beacon said that it is impossible to verify if the images show the same pallets of cash transferred by the Obama administration.
The footage also claims that the Obama administration insisted the negotiations over the matter take place in secret and threatened Iranian officials who may have leaked information to the media.
Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump referenced the footage in remarks this week, claiming that it is part of an effort by Iran to embarrass the United States.
"They have a perfect tape, done by obviously a government camera and the tape is of the people taking the money off the plane, right?" Trump said. "That means that in order to embarrass us further, Iran sent us the tapes, right?"
"It's a military tape; it's a tape that was a perfect angle, nice and steady, nobody getting nervous because they're gonna be shot because they're shooting a picture of money pouring off a plane," Trump said.
The footage is part of a February documentary published by Iran's Tasnim News Agency, which is affiliated with the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps.
The documentary purported to reveal behind-the-scenes details of the negotiations with the United States to free the American hostages. It maintains the negotiations were tied up in efforts to push the Iran nuclear agreement forward as it moved towards implementation.