Former Asst. Secretary of State Charles denounces hostage trade with Iran: 'Highly disturbing'

Former Assistant Secretary of State Bobby Charles on Monday decried the Biden administration's hostage trade with Tehran that saw Washington worked to unfreeze Iranian funds abroad.

While both sides released five prisoners each, the U.S. pushed to unfreeze $6 billion in Iranian assets in South Korea that had been frozen as part of the Trump administration's sanction of Iranian oil purchases.

"It is disturbing beyond belief. You know, we try very hard to keep our emotional level heads, not allow ourselves to get worked up, but this is something worth getting worked up about," Charles said in an upcoming interview on the "Just the News, No Noise" television show. "You know, to me, as a student of history. This is almost worse than Neville Chamberlain giving away Czechoslovakia to, you know, to the brown shirts led by Mr. Hitler."

"At the end of the day, what you see here is $6 billion dollars being paid to the number one terrorist country in the world and the number one sponsor of terrorist organizations in the world in order to buy five hostages," he went on. "What does that do? It immediately puts a price on every American head abroad; it immediately elevates the idea that Americans should be taken hostage and will be, that bad guys will be paid huge amounts of money by the federal government. But it's also completely against American policy and the American law."

"Look, appeasement has never worked in the history of nation states," Charles continued. "And it doesn't work even in interpersonal relations. And it definitely doesn't work when you're dealing with a terrorist organization and terrorist state."

"This is the payment of American tax dollars in effect for hostages, and it is unconscionable, inappropriate, and in my view, illegal," he concluded.

Charles is not the only one to criticize the Biden administration's deal. Former President Donald Trump on Monday fumed over the "absolutely ridiculous 6 Billion Dollar Hostage Deal with Iran" and said it set a "terrible PRECEDENT for the future."

"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!" Trump said.

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.