Washington, D.C. — Senator Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas) released the following statement after reports of an intended prisoner swap and ransom paid to Iran in exchange for captive Americans:

“While we always welcome the release of American hostages—if they are in fact released after President Biden pays Iran $6 billion in ransom—this craven act of appeasement will only embolden the ayatollahs to take more hostages and use these ill-gotten gains to attack our troops, fund terrorism, and arm Russia. This cycle will continue until President Biden stops dancing to Iran’s tune and starts responding firmly and decisively to their aggression.”