Iran has detained no longer decrease than six US voters or permanent residents, according to detainee advocates, elevating fears they and thousands of Individuals believed trapped in the country will be ragged as bargaining chips in the escalating battle with the US and Israel.
The detainees are amongst what some consultants estimate are perchance thousands of twin US-Iranian nationals and inexperienced-card holders who occupy remained in Iran despite repeated US warnings no longer to scoot back and forth there on myth of the specter of being arrested.
Board member of the Foley Foundation advocacy team says the regime’s history of searching out to leverage Individuals for political goals is long established, “I would occupy to accept as true with that any American is potentially at risk.”
The US and Israel launched assaults on Iran early on Saturday that occupy killed Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and other officials, triggering retaliatory Iranian assaults across the draw and escalating fears that Tehran will explore other systems to hit wait on on the US.
WATCH | Iran has confirmed that its Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has been killed in joint US-Israeli militia assaults. SABC Data Specialist Correspondent Sophie Mokoena is unpacking this and the broader Center East war. pic.twitter.com/qaepJlWZuW
— SABC Data (@SABCNews) March 1, 2026
Kieran Ramsey, a faded FBI assistant director now with the World Reach advocacy team, who headed the US hostage restoration unit says, there are hundreds, if no longer thousands, if no longer more, of twin nationals which are wait on there that even occupy familial ties despite the dangers.
Iran does no longer recognise twin citizenship, that manner that other governments can not provide diplomatic protection or consular products and services to their voters who also salvage Iranian nationality.
A source accustomed to the topic acknowledged that the US Explain Department does no longer know exactly what number of Individuals are in Iran.
The Explain Department and the chief heart of the US Particular Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs didn’t abruptly reply to a question for comment.
“President Trump has been sure that he desires every American wrongfully detained to be returned home rating and sound, and that there’ll be dire consequences for regimes that take care of Individuals as political pawns,” White Dwelling spokesperson Anna Kelly acknowledged in an emailed assertion.
Iran’s mission on the United Countries also didn’t abruptly reply.
US President Donald Trump has made securing the liberate of Individuals deemed wrongfully detained or held hostage in a single other country a foreign policy precedence.
Extra than 70 Individuals were freed since the initiating of his 2nd time period in January 2025, according to the White Dwelling, however Trump has no longer acknowledged how he would offer protection to those detained since the initiate of the assaults on Iran on Saturday.
Only hours earlier than the US-Israeli strikes started, US Secretary of Explain Marco Rubio on Friday designated Iran because the principle relate sponsor of wrongful detention below an executive list signed by Trump on September 5.
The designation, he acknowledged, would possibly perchance well draw off a ban on utilizing US passports to scoot back and forth to and from Iran and other unspecified measures except Tehran stops taking “hostages” and releases all Individuals, the quantity of which he didn’t list.
Detainee advocates saw the cross as a message to Iran no longer to ache American detainees or every other Individuals. Nonetheless they expressed diagram back that it would possibly perchance well scoot unheeded amid a breakdown in Iran’s hierarchy from the strikes.
“Within the event you occupy kinetic action and militia strikes like this, it lawful united statesthe risk ingredient for these participants exponentially,” acknowledged Ramsey.
As a minimum six twin US-Iranian nationals or comely permanent residents are identified to be held in Tehran’s Evin Penal advanced, a notorious jail for political prisoners and foreigners, or barred from leaving Iran, acknowledged Elizabeth Richards, the Foley Foundation compare director.
The identities of three of those participants are no longer public.
Israel bombed the penal advanced correct via its 12-day air battle with Iran final June, killing no longer decrease than 71 participants, Iran acknowledged.
These now held in Evin embody Shahab Dalili, a inexperienced-card holder arrested in 2016 on his manner to the airport after attending his father’s funeral and given 10 years in jail for allegedly cooperating with a foreign authorities, according to the Foley Foundation.
Fayhee represents Reza Valizadeh, a twin US-Iranian citizen who used to be arrested in 2024 after returning to Iran to search the advice of along with his elderly participants and used to be also given 10 years in jail for “collaboration with a adversarial authorities,” according to the Foley Foundation.
Valizadeh, a journalist, is being held in Evin Penal advanced, Fayhee acknowledged, so too is Kamran Hekmati, a 70-year-ragged Jewish Iranian-American jewellery store owner arrested final year, according to Ramsey, who represents Hekmati’s family.
He used to be convicted of going to Israel below a regulations that bars such visits in the previous 10 years, even supposing he supplied documentation showing his final search the advice of with used to be 13 years earlier than his arrest, Ramsey acknowledged.
Hekmati, who is struggling from bladder cancer, used to be also charged with espionage, for which he has no longer been convicted. His legal skilled used to be informed it used to be for allegedly assembly Israeli intelligence brokers.
Iran customarily adds this kind of payment as a manner of signalling that the detainee would possibly perchance well be launched only via an substitute with Washington, Ramsey acknowledged.
The US and Israeli air battle in opposition to Iran widened, and not utilizing a end result in watch as Israel attacked Lebanon based completely on strikes by Hezbollah and Tehran saved up its missile and drone assaults on Gulf states pic.twitter.com/qz9FKX97MV
— Reuters (@Reuters) March 3, 2026
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