Here's a not-too-implausible scenario:

The United States captures and imprisons some terrorists (or their financiers, or their spiritual leaders, or whomever).  The terrorists retaliate by taking Americans hostage and demanding an exchange of prisoners.

Should the US refuse to negotiate in such a scenario?  If so, will the public understand why someone's parent/sibling/spouse had to die when the government could have cut a deal?

A side question: was the seizure of the American embassy in Tehran in 1979 an act of war?

Don't give anyone ideas.

As to our Embassy the answer is YES it was an act of war. The Embassy was United States Soil and an attact on it is the same as an attack within our borders.

If you are unfortunate enough to become a hostage, figure you already are dead and plan accordingly.  Negotiations with scumbags just bring you more scum down the road.

Hostage taking has been going on for a long, long time.  I think that preparation for a difficult decision is worth the astronomically remote chance of suggesting something that hasn't occurred to the terrorists yet.