Pompeo: Ongoing Efforts for the Release of Americans in Iran and Worldwide Continue

Mike Pompeo, the U.S. Secretary of State, described his meeting with members of several families of detained or missing Americans around the world as 'an important day.' On Tuesday, April 2, families of American prisoners or hostages in other countries were invited to the U.S. Department of State. According to an email sent by the U.S. State Department to Radio Farda, Mr. Pompeo emphasized that the U.S. government wants to show Americans, and indeed the entire world, that it will not rest until every one of its unjustly imprisoned or kidnapped citizens returns home. In recent days, two Democratic figures have called for consideration of a proposal that the U.S. might negotiate with Tehran for the release of prisoners in exchange for a reduction in sanctions against Iran and further efforts to clarify the fate of a missing American in Iran. In an interview with Hugh Hewitt, a host of an internet radio network, Mike Pompeo, without directly referencing the proposal from these two Democratic figures, stated that yielding to 'extortion' is dangerous and would expose more Americans worldwide to this type of coercion. He recalled that Iran released several Iranian-American prisoners just before the implementation of the JCPOA, the nuclear agreement between Iran and the U.S. and other global powers. The U.S. Secretary of State noted that the previous U.S. administration had given Iran 'large cash payments,' after which several other Americans were detained in Iran and sentenced to long prison terms. The Barack Obama administration, which reached an agreement with Iran during nuclear negotiations, rejected the idea of paying 'ransom' to Iran for the release of dual nationals. Mr. Obama himself criticized reports of 'paying ransom' to Iran for the release of Iranian-American prisoners, stating that the U.S. never pays ransom for the release of hostages and that the payment of $400 million to Iran had been announced beforehand. Mike Pompeo emphasized that the Washington government will pursue pressure tactics against Iran, including through Switzerland, which protects U.S. interests in Iran. The U.S. Secretary of State also reminded that some individuals responsible for the hostage-taking of American diplomats during the U.S. embassy takeover in Tehran 39 years ago are still among the senior officials of the Tehran government. Mr. Pompeo added that teams from U.S. security agencies continue their persistent efforts to free hostages or American prisoners worldwide, and that Donald Trump, the President who supports and directs these efforts, is updated weekly on the results of these efforts. In his meeting with the families of American prisoners and missing persons, Mr. Pompeo emphasized that 'the Iranian regime is the world's largest supporter of terrorism,' stating that Washington is still seeking to form a coalition of countries against Iran. Iran has denied the accusation of supporting terrorism. The U.S. Secretary of State mentioned American citizens who are imprisoned and missing in Syria, Iran, and other parts of the Middle East, naming Siamak Namazi, an Iranian-American citizen who remains imprisoned in Evin. Baqer Namazi, Siamak's father, is reportedly not currently imprisoned in Iran due to his old age, but his prison sentence has not been revoked, and his exit from Iran is prohibited. Washington is also seeking clarification on the fate of Robert Levinson, a retired FBI agent who was last seen in 2007 on Kish Island. Nizar Zakka, a Lebanese-American citizen, has been imprisoned for 10 years in Evin after being detained three and a half years ago during an official visit invited by Hassan Rouhani's government to Tehran. Qiu Wang, a Chinese-American who was a doctoral student at Princeton University, was arrested three years ago during a 'research' trip to Tehran and sentenced to 10 years in prison for 'espionage.' Additionally, Michael White, a former U.S. Navy member, was arrested last year during a private trip to Mashhad and was recently sentenced to 10 years in prison.