US demands ‘credible answers’ from Iran on Robert Levinson’s abduction

Mar 9, 2021

The United States will “continue to demand answers” from Iran about the abduction, detention and probable death of retired FBI agent Robert Levinson, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said in a statement Tuesday marking the anniversary of his disappearance.  

“After 14 years and repeated, persistent efforts to secure Iran’s cooperation in locating Mr. Levinson, we are still without answers,” Psaki said. “Nevertheless, we will continue to demand answers and to hold Iran accountable.”

Levinson disappeared on Iran’s remote Kish Island in March 2007 during an unauthorized CIA mission that the US government for years claimed was a private business trip. He hasn’t been seen or heard from publicly since, and the Iranian government denied holding the veteran agent in its custody. 

In March 2020, the Levinson family announced in a statement that the US government believed Levinson had died sometime before the COVID-19 outbreak in Iran. His remains have not been recovered. 

This would make Levinson the longest-held American hostage in history. In what marked the first public actions the US government had taken against Tehran over his abduction, the Trump administration in December sanctioned two high-ranking Iranian intelligence officials. US officials said all available evidence points to Levinson’s likely death in Iranian custody.