U.S. State Department Condemns Iran's 'Ruthless and Continuous' Use of Hostage-Taking

The U.S. State Department condemned the 'ruthless and continuous' use of hostage-taking by the Islamic Republic on the occasion of the 43rd anniversary of the release of 52 diplomats taken hostage by the 'Iranian regime.' In a message shared on Saturday, January 30, on the messaging platform 'X' (formerly Twitter), the State Department described hostage-taking to advance political interests as a 'horrific practice' and called for its cessation by the Islamic Republic. The message highlighted the hostage-taking of 52 American diplomats for 444 days as 'the first of many instances of hostage-taking to advance political interests by the Islamic Republic of Iran.' The State Department further emphasized the ongoing hostage-taking of 'many foreign citizens' by the 'regime' in Iran, stating, 'We will continue to work with our allies and partners to see an end to this practice in Iran and around the world.' Some experts believe that the Islamic Republic detains foreign citizens, especially dual nationals, based on baseless accusations and uses them as political bargaining chips, effectively taking them hostage. In one of the most recent cases, following the release of six billion dollars of Iran's frozen assets in South Korea and its transfer to Qatar, the Islamic Republic released five Iranian-American dual nationals. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated after the release of these five citizens that 'some of these individuals have spent years in prison as part of the regime's cruel practice of illegal detention.' Sweden: The Islamic Republic has detained a young Swedish citizen. Human Rights Watch: Global efforts for the immediate release of Johan Flodros should be increased. Ghazaleh Sharmeh: My father has advanced Parkinson's; the execution order could be carried out at any moment. The family of Louis Arnaud is concerned about Europe's silence regarding this French prisoner in Iran.