US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement on Friday that the State Department had designated Iran as a “state sponsor of improper detention”.
Rubio said Iran has been wrongfully detaining Americans and citizens of other countries for decades “to use them as political leverage against other states.”
He said the US could consider other measures, including a potential “geographical restriction on travel using US passports to, through or from Iran”.
“Today I designated Iran as a state sponsor of wrongful detention. For decades, the Iranian regime has cruelly detained innocent Americans and citizens of other countries to use them as political leverage. Iran must end this abhorrent practice and immediately release all unjustly detained Americans,” Secretary Marco Rubio wrote on X.
Meanwhile, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said: “Today the US designated Iran as a state sponsor of wrongful detention.”
“The FBI remains committed to working with our federal and international partners to bring Americans who are being held captive home and bring their captors to justice,” the agency added.
She said the Hostage Recovery Fusion Cell (HRFC) coordinates efforts to return Americans held hostage abroad and supports hostages and their families during and after release.
Trump says on Iran: ‘Sometimes you have to use force’
The statements by Rubio and the FBI came as US President Donald Trump on Friday expressed disappointment with US negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program and warned that “sometimes you have to use force”.
In the weeks since Iran’s crackdown on protesters, Trump has increased diplomatic and military pressure on Iran, trying to force the country to give up its nuclear weapons and other activities Washington sees as destabilizing.
After the latest round of talks in Geneva ended without a deal on Thursday, Trump’s patience appeared to be running out, although he said he had not made a final decision on the use of force.
“They don’t want to say the key words, ‘We’re not going to have a nuclear weapon,'” Trump said Friday before an event in Corpus Christi, Texas. “So I’m not happy with that negotiation.
“I’m not happy that they’re not willing to give us what we have. I’m not happy about it. We’ll see what happens. We’ll talk later,” Trump told reporters as he left the White House on Friday.
“We’re not entirely happy with the way they’re negotiating. They can’t have nuclear weapons,” Trump said.
Earlier in the day, he was asked at the White House about the risks of the US becoming embroiled in a protracted conflict if it attacks Iran.
“I think you could say there’s always a risk,” Trump replied. “You know when there is a war there is a risk of everything, good and bad.
Iran denies it is seeking to develop nuclear weapons and wants any deal to include the lifting of US sanctions against it.
