A new Iran deal shows the Biden administration is willing to pay a big price to free Americans

By ERIC TUCKER
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — As the Biden administration heralds the forthcoming release of five U.S. citizens detained by Iran, it’s also confronting questions about the price being paid to bring them home. The billions of dollars being unfrozen for Iran and the release of five prisoners charged in America are just the latest sizable concessions by the U.S. government in the name of securing the freedom of wrongfully detained citizens. The negotiations in some instances have drawn scorn from congressional Republicans who see them as tantamount to ransom payments. But officials say getting home Americans held by foreign adversaries is a core administration priority that necessarily comes at a heavy cost. Increasingly, the administration has proved willing to pay it.