…by a number of folks, including politicians.

Senior Iranian officials, including the country’s president, have been floating the possibility of further payments from the United States for months. Since the White House agreed to pay Tehran $1.7 billion in cash earlier this year as part of a deal bound up in the release of American hostages, Iran has captured several more US citizens.

Here’s Senator Mark Kirk (R, IL) again:

After airlifting $1.7 billion in cash ransom payments to Iran, even the US State Department ‎now warns of increased dangers that the world’s biggest state sponsor of terrorism will continue to illegally seize Americans and Westerners who travel or do business with Iran. Companies, banks, and American citizens would be wise to stay away from Iran[.]

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corp, Iran’s primary military force, and the Praetorian Guard supporting Iran’s Supreme Leader Sayyed Ali Hosseini Khamenei says

“We should wait and see, the US will offer … many billions of dollars to release” American businessman Siamak Namazi and his father Baquer….

Yep.  Saeed Ghasseminejad, Associate Fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies:

Paying $1.7 billion to Iran to release the US prisoners has encouraged Iran to arrest more Americans.  Iran senses weakness in the US leadership as it constantly tests the administration through a chain of provocative actions.

We shouldn’t have to look forward to more of this after early November.