The Biden Administration was out in force on Monday to celebrate the return home of seven American citizens from Iran, five of whom had been in prison. We can all be grateful for their freedom, but the question we wish U.S. policy markers would do more to address is how they will prevent the next hostage-taking by a rogue regime.

there’s no doubt that paying $6 billion for seven Americans will encourage more such hostage-taking. Iran has paid no price for imprisoning Americans and has now been paid ransom for them. Iran snatched a couple of the Americans not long after the last hostage trade with the U.S. It’s part of Tehran’s business model, and it works. It’s also insulting to read in that Washington Post that White House National Security Council official Brett McGurk says that “under terms that provide confidence, the funds will be spent only on a limited category of humanitarian trade: food, medicine and agricultural products. That’s it.” He may be technically right about those specific funds. But that leaves the Tehran regime able to devote other funds they would have spent on those goods for such malevolent purposes as terrorism by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

More From The Wall Street Journal (subscription required):