“I was struck by their strength, resilience, hopefulness, and love for their country,” Carstens said. “I think they’re doing great,” he said of the Americans’ emotional state, adding that they are now in the care of the Department of Defense and undergoing post-isolation support activities. Carstens, who runs point on hostage negotiations, responded to criticism from lawmakers and defended the transfer of $6 billion in frozen funds. “This is a good deal,” he said, emphasizing that the transferred funds will be held in “a much more restricted” account.
