Sanctions have been put on three Iranian intelligence officers on charges of responsibility for the enforced disappearance of erstwhile FBI representative Robert Levinson, who had been abducted according to Washington out of Iran where he died during detention.
The US State and Treasury Departments imposed the sanctions on Tuesday against Reza Amiri Moghadam, Gholamhossein Mohammadnia, and Taqi Daneshvar, all of whom are members of Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security. The sanctions are the latest moves made by the US regarding Levinson’s case.
Under the sanctions, all assets the three own under US jurisdiction should be frozen, and American citizens are not allowed to transact with them. Foreign entities that transact with them also stand the risk of being blacklisted.
Iran’s treatment of Mr. Levinson continues to be a stain on Iran’s already bleak record of human rights violations,” added US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. “We will continue to work with our government partners to expose the perpetrators and bring their actions to light.
Levinson, once an FBI special agent and later a private investigator, went missing in March 2007 after going to Kish Island, a region under Iranian control, to allegedly get information on corruption surrounding former Iranian President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani.
The Treasury Department says that the three persons sanctioned were the ones directly engaged in Levinson’s kidnapping, captivity, and probable death and also in concealing Iran’s involvement.
These sanctions are being issued under an executive order first signed by former President Joe Biden, intended to hold hostage-takers accountable for their crimes against terrorist groups, criminal networks, and other organizations.
The US had already sanctioned two other Iranian officials in December 2020 for their suspected role in Levinson’s disappearance. Washington is still pressuring Tehran to account for the case.
