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A former lead hostage negotiator under the first Trump and Biden administrations warned that the Iranians are tougher negotiators than the Russians, Chinese and even the Taliban, noting that several Americans are still wrongfully detained in Iran and should be included in any peace talks.
Roger Carstens, the U.S. former Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs, said in an interview with Fox News that six American citizens are being held captive in Iranian prisons — each of them previously held in Evin prison in Tehran, known for its harsh conditions. He said the Iranians will likely use the American hostages as a “sweetener” to ensure negotiations go in “the direction of Iran” as the United States seeks a nuclear deal and permanent ceasefire.
“Strangely, the Russians, the Chinese, the Taliban, the Venezuelans, when you start getting into hostage discussions, they tell the truth, and they stick to what they promise. You can do a handshake deal with the Taliban, and they’re going to follow through,” Carstens said. “The Iranians. Absolutely not.”
While Carstens remains confident that U.S. negotiators can secure the return of the six Americans, he stated that Iran is unlike any other foreign government he’s worked with and can’t be trusted.
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Roger D. Carstens poses in the Getty Images Portrait Studio Presented by IMDb and IMDbPro at SXSW 2025 on March 9, 2025, in Austin, Texas. (Robby Klein)
He said the Iranians are the sort of negotiators likely to pull a “fast one” right up until the last moment.
“You cannot trust the Iranians up until the last second,” Carstens said. “If you were landing a plane in either Geneva or even Tehran, to get your Americans, you better be out there with a clipboard making sure that the people coming on the plane are the people that you bargained for.”
Only two of the American hostages have been publicly…
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