U.S. Reps. Michael McCaul (R-TX) and Gregory Meeks (D-NY), ranking member and chairman, respectively, of the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee, this week urged President Joe Biden to prioritize securing the release of American hostages held in Iran.
“We write to urge you to urgently prioritize securing the release of American citizens unjustly imprisoned in Iran,” the congressmen wrote in an Aug. 30 letter sent to the president. “While we share different views of the appropriate strategy to take regarding Iran’s nuclear program, we are in full agreement that getting our Americans home must be the highest priority.”
Rep. McCaul and his colleague noted that several Americans are unjustly imprisoned or otherwise prevented from leaving Iran, including Siamak Namazi, an Iranian-American businessman who has been detained in Iran since Oct. 13, 2015 in Evin Prison, and his father, Baquer Namazi, who was arrested on Feb. 22, 2016, when he arrived in Iran to visit his son.
Also detained in Iran are Emad Shargi, a U.S. citizen imprisoned on April 23, 2018; and British-born American citizen Morad Tahbaz, an Iranian-American businessman, conservationist and co-founder of the Persian Wildlife Heritage Foundation arrested in January 2018 along with eight other foundation-affiliated individuals.
“They have endured years of false allegations, wretched conditions, and separation from their loved ones simply because they are Americans,” wrote the lawmakers. “The United States has a responsibility to its citizens to bring all of its leverage to bear to get its citizens home.”
Additionally, Reps. McCaul and Meeks said that “the Iranian regime must provide a full account for the fate” of Robert Levinson, who formerly worked for both the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. He disappeared on March 9, 2007, in Iran while on a mission for the Central Intelligence Agency. Levinson is presumed dead and Iran has not acknowledged his arrest. In 2017, Levinson became the longest-held American hostage in history.
“We urge you to ensure that the freedom of all hostages is secured as soon as possible,” wrote Rep. McCaul and his colleague. “No American should be left behind.”