Certainly the administration has been forced to already reveal some of their diplomatic discussions (the details of which are normally considered classified information) regarding why the first planned repayment from the old Reagan/Warren Christopher deal was delayed until some hostages were released.

If you are going to hold back returning someone else's money in exchange for other items, sometimes it is best to do that in private discussions instead of public ones. At least, it seems to me lawyers often place some great stock in keeping delicate negotiations private.

But if your goal is to just look tough to your domestic audience without actually caring if progress gets made in improving relations, then you shout a lot of bluster about the Great Satan or how you plan to bomb your opponent to the ground if they do not comply.