Last week, the five Americans held by Iran arrived in the US after the Biden administration brokered a controversial deal to transfer $6 billion in oil assets to Tehran, CBS News reported.
The US citizens, who included three Iranian-Americans who had been sentenced to ten years for spying, arrived at Fort Belvoir, Virginia Tuesday morning after flying from Tehran to Doha, Qatar last Monday.
The Americans were met in Qatar by US Special Presidential Envoy Roger Carstens and Adam Peley, the Deputy Special Envoy for Iran.
According to the family of one of the released Americans, President Biden and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan spoke with the families by phone after the detainees arrived in Doha. The White House described the phone call as “emotional.”
The deal was harshly criticized by Republicans who accused the Biden administration of paying Iran for hostages and warned that the deal would only lead to more Americans being detained.
While appearing on CBS’s “Face the Nation” last week, House Intel Committee Chair Mike Turner warned that the Biden administration “put a price” on the heads of Americans and incentivized more hostage-taking.
In a post on Truth Social Monday, former President Donald Trump called the deal “ridiculous” and warned that the Biden administration has set a dangerous precedent.
In a follow-up post, Trump boasted that he secured the release of 58 hostages without paying anything. He claimed that the countries holding Americans, including North Korea, understood that they had to release detained Americans and, “toward the end” of his presidency, the countries stopped demanding money “because they knew they would not get it.”
Trump warned that Biden’s decision to unfreeze $6 billion will open the door to more Americans being taken hostage. Calling Biden “grossly incompetent,” Trump said Iran gave “zero” for the five prisoners while Biden gave Iran $6 billion.
“He’s Dumb as a ROCK,” Trump added.
