In every case I can think of, foreign nationals who survived—and many did not—finally got out when their government paid the price that was negotiated with the mullahs. Ditto for Hizbollah, Hamas, etc. Sometimes they want money, sometimes it’s weapons, sometimes it’s the relase of their people, but any way you cut it, it’s barter.
People have been saying “this has got to stop” for a long time, but we keep paying…Yes, I’m suspicious that we’re being dragged in. Yes, I’m suspicious about that too-good-to-be-true release of the Iranian diplomat. Yes, I’m alarmed at the talk that the Iraqi Government is asking us to release the Qods Force Five. Big time suspicious.