Gov. Bill Richardson said today that he would negotiate a tougher deal with Iran if he were handling the release of U.S. marine Amir Hekmati.
"I would say look, if you want a deal, a nuclear deal with the U.S., release the marine Amir Hekmati, release the Washington Post reporter. And I would have gone a little bit beyond that, I would have said, stop behaving with Hezbollah, Hamas, stop helping the Syrians, stop funding terrorist groups," he said.
Families have appealed to Congress to call on Iran to release the hostages. The hostage situation is causing many to call in to question the trustworthiness of the Iranians.
NPR reports,
The timing of this hearing wasn't a coincidence. The chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Rep. Ed Royce, a California Republican, said the cases call into question the integrity of the nuclear negotiators.
"If top Iranian officials cannot be counted on to assist these wrongfully jailed Americans, can they be counted on to honor the commitments they make at the negotiating table?" he asked, adding, "Call me a skeptic."
So, too, is New York Democrat Eliot Engel.
"It would just be ludicrous and outrageous for us to have a deal with Iran that doesn't include the bringing home of our hostages," he said.
White House spokesman Josh Earnest says the U.S. won't negotiate their release.
"We will not allow these American citizens to be used as bargaining chips," he said.
Transcript of the video below:
REPORTER: Alright governor, our time is short here. The Iranian negotiations, they've been delayed again, but also going on in the sidelines, the negotiation to bring home U.S. Marine Amir Hekmati. This family making a formal plea for his release. If you were helping negotiate his release, how would you handle it?
GOV. RICHARDSON: Well, I would link to the Iranians, I would say look, if you want a deal, a nuclear deal with the U.S., release the marine Amir Hekmati, release the Washington Post reporter. And I would have gone a little bit beyond that, I would have said, stop behaving with Hezbollah, Hamas, stop helping the Syrians, stop funding terrorist groups. But I think if the administration pulls off this deal on nuclear issues, it's a step in the right direction. But the fact that it's now extending another week means that there are serious...