Americans Held in Iran Face Heightened Risk Amid Escalating U.S.-Israel Strikes
By Jonathan Landay
WASHINGTON, March 2 (Reuters) — With U.S.-Israeli military action against Iran escalating, detainee advocates are raising urgent alarms over the safety of Americans held in the country. At least six U.S. citizens or permanent residents are confirmed detained, stoking fears they could be used as leverage in a widening conflict.
The detained individuals are part of a larger, uncertain population—experts estimate potentially thousands of dual U.S.-Iranian nationals and green-card holders—who remained in Iran despite longstanding State Department warnings against travel there.
"The regime has a decades-long practice of instrumentalizing foreign nationals for political ends," said Ryan Fayhee, a board member with the Foley Foundation, a group advocating for detainees. "In this climate, every American on Iranian soil is in potential peril."
The direct strikes early Saturday, which Iranian state media reported killed Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, have triggered retaliatory attacks and fueled concerns that Tehran may seek alternative means of retaliation, including targeting vulnerable foreigners.
Complicating efforts is Iran's refusal to recognize dual citizenship, stripping the U.S. of any formal consular access to those who also hold Iranian passports.
"We're talking about hundreds, if not thousands, of people who returned for family reasons, fully aware of the risks but now trapped," said Kieran Ramsey, a former FBI assistant director who led the U.S. hostage recovery unit and now works with Global Reach.
The U.S. government does not have a precise count of Americans currently in Iran, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters.
A Policy Push Amid Crisis
The crisis erupted just as the Trump administration ramped up diplomatic pressure. Hours before the strikes began, Secretary of State Marco Rubio formally designated Iran as a "state sponsor of wrongful detention" under a recent executive order.
The move, intended to warn Tehran against harming detainees, could lead to travel bans and other sanctions unless all Americans are released. Yet advocates fear the message may be lost amid the chaos of war.
"Military strikes exponentially increase the danger for every American there," Ramsey said.
Inside Evin Prison
According to Elizabeth Richards, research director at the Foley Foundation, at least six dual nationals or permanent residents are known to be held in Tehran's notorious Evin Prison or barred from leaving the country. Three identities remain confidential.
Evin itself was bombed by Israel in a previous air campaign last June, an attack Iran said killed 71.
Among those currently held is Shahab Dalili, a green-card holder arrested in 2016 after his father's funeral and sentenced to 10 years for "cooperating with a foreign government." Also in Evin is Reza Valizadeh, a U.S.-Iranian journalist arrested in 2024 while visiting his parents and given a 10-year term for "collaboration with a hostile government," according to his representative.
Another case is that of Kamran Hekmati, a 70-year-old Jewish Iranian-American jeweler arrested last year. He was convicted for a visit to Israel that records show occurred outside the prohibited 10-year window, and faces an additional, unproven espionage charge—a tactic advocates say Iran uses to signal openness to a prisoner swap.
"The espionage charge is often a tell," Ramsey noted. "It's how they communicate that release will only come through a deal with Washington."
The White House, State Department, and Iran's U.N. mission did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Voices & Reaction
"This is a terrifying but predictable escalation. The administration's designation of Iran was necessary, but it's now a race against time to extract our citizens before they're harmed in retaliation." — David Chen, Professor of International Security at Georgetown University.
"Where was the evacuation plan? We've known for years that Iran arrests Americans on sham charges. To launch strikes without a clear protocol for protecting civilians is gross negligence." — Anya Petrova, Director of the Crisis Response Network, in an emotional critique.
"The dual-national community has long lived in this gray zone. The real number at risk is likely far higher than six, but without diplomatic ties, we're operating in the dark." — Mark Gibson, former diplomat and author on Iran-U.S. relations.
"Trump made hostage recovery a flagship policy, but kinetic action undermines all diplomacy. These people are now literal hostages of war." — Sarah El-Masri, legal advocate for detained journalists.
(Reporting by Jonathan Landay; Editing by Don Durfee and Matthew Lewis)