Kerry: We’re Not Making Imprisoned American Part of Our Iran Negotiation

KERRY: “We have not linked it directly to the nuclear issue because we believe that prejudices them and it also prejudices the negotiation. We don't want them to become the hostages or pawns of a process that then gets played against something they want with respect to the nuclear program. Nor do you, I think. We want them returned because they're American citizens, because they have to be accountable to us for them, and because they deserve to be returned. Fundamental humanitarian basis. And we are, believe me, I’m not at liberty to go into what is happening on it, and that is the difficulty in some of these situations many times, because there are back channels and other kinds of efforts that are engaged in, but we have never stopped trying to secure their release or raising that issue with our representative nations that represent us in Tehran, with the Swiss, with the Swedish, with others. It is a constant process. And we are engaged in that effort.”