Trump slams Biden's Iran prisoner swap, warns 'MANY MORE HOSTAGES WILL BE TAKEN'

Former President Donald Trump on Monday slammed President Joe Biden's prisoner swap with Iran, warning on Truth Social that because Biden freed billions of dollars in Iranian assets as part of the deal, "MANY MORE HOSTAGES WILL BE TAKEN."

Iran freed five Americans Monday in exchange for the release of five Iranians held by the United States and the unfreezing of $6 billion in Tehran's assets, which had been stuck in South Korea since the Trump administration sanctioned the Islamic Republic in 2019.

"This absolutely ridiculous 6 Billion Dollar Hostage Deal with Iran has set a terrible PRECEDENT for the future. ... you are going to see some terrible things start to happen," Trump wrote on Truth Social shortly after the deal was announced.

"I brought 58 HOSTAGES home from many different countries, including North Korea, and I never paid anything. They all understood they MUST LET THESE PEOPLE COME HOME! Toward the end, it got so that countries didn’t even start the conversation asking for money, because they knew they would not get it," Trump added less than five minutes after his initial post.

"Once you pay, you always pay, & MANY MORE HOSTAGES WILL BE TAKEN. Our grossly incompetent 'leader,' Crooked Joe Biden, gave 6 BILLION DOLLARS for 5 people. Iran gave ZERO for 5. He’s Dumb as a ROCK!" he also wrote.

The $6 billion unfrozen by the Biden administration was not taxpayer dollars but was money that South Korea owed Iran for oil purchased before the U.S. imposed sanctions on such oil deals with Tehran.

The Biden administration had been attempting to reach a deal with Iran to limit the Islamic Republic's nuclear program in exchange for the U.S. prisoners and lighter sanctions. The two nations are still locked in disputes over the program, as Iran enriches uranium at near weapons-grade levels. 

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