Roger Carstens, the former U.S. special presidential envoy for hostage affairs, said Iranians are tougher negotiators than the Taliban, as well as the Chinese and Russians.
In an interview with CNN aired yesterday, he said reaching agreements with Iran on hostage issues takes time.
Carstens said that even at the final moments, Iranians introduce new conditions. Recalling one case, he said a plane was ready to board four hostages when a mediator informed them that Iran had added a new condition to the deal.
He added: “I said, ‘Fine, no problem. We’ll come back together in a few months and see if we can make this work.’”
Carstens said: “The fact that we were emotionally prepared and didn’t back down led them to return about 30 to 45 minutes later and agree.”
He noted: “You think you’re close to a deal, then you walk into a meeting and suddenly it’s either off or completely changed. It’s an emotional roller coaster.”
Carstens served as the U.S. special presidential envoy for hostage affairs under both the Trump and Biden administrations and helped secure the release of several hostages.
He is currently working to secure the release of six U.S. citizens detained in Iran.
U.S. officials believe at least two American citizens are being held in Afghanistan and have accused the Taliban of engaging in hostage diplomacy. Several U.S. citizens have previously been released from Taliban custody as part of agreements.
