A tense exchange unfolded on Fox News as Maria Bartiromo directly challenged Representative Ro Khanna’s assertion that Barack Obama’s Iran policy was a success.
Bartiromo pressed Khanna, questioning whether he truly believed Obama’s approach was superior, then immediately countered with a stark accusation: that Obama’s administration oversaw 14 wire transfers totaling $1.7 billion to a Swiss account linked to Hezbollah.
She detailed a clandestine back channel to Tehran, allegedly active from 2012 to 2024 and facilitated by Valerie Jarrett, even after Obama left office. Bartiromo also pointed to the delivery of cash-filled pallets to Iran, demanding an explanation for sending funds to a nation actively pursuing nuclear weapons and supporting terrorism.
Khanna, seemingly unable to refute the specific claims, deflected by praising Obama as a “great statesman” and drawing a sharp contrast with Donald Trump, avoiding any direct response to the financial allegations.
Recent revelations from Saudi Prince Mohammad bin Salman corroborate concerns about the flow of funds to Iran during the Obama years. The Prince stated that $150 billion provided to Iran was not used for infrastructure or the benefit of its people.
Instead, the money was allegedly channeled into bolstering Iran’s military capabilities – missiles, drones – and strengthening its network of proxy forces, including Hamas, Ansar Allah, and Hezbollah. This funding also reportedly provided sanctuary for Al Qaeda leaders, even members of Osama Bin Laden’s family.
Former White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany has meticulously outlined a timeline of financial transactions, tracing a pattern of billions of dollars flowing to Iran under the Obama-Biden administration.
McEnany’s analysis centers on the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, and the subsequent lifting of sanctions. Despite assurances that relief would not empower the Iranian regime, evidence suggests a different outcome.
A $400 million cash transfer was an early indicator, but McEnany argues this was merely the beginning of a much larger, troubling flow of money that ultimately strengthened the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism.
