US Courts Order Iran to Pay $1.4B Over Ex-FBI Agent Presumed Dead

Manuel Balce Ceneta via The ASSOCIATED PRESS
Manuel Balce Ceneta via The ASSOCIATED PRESS
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US Courts Order Iran to Pay $1.4B Over Ex-FBI Agent Presumed Dead

Manuel Balce Ceneta via The ASSOCIATED PRESS
Manuel Balce Ceneta via The ASSOCIATED PRESS

A US judge has ordered Iran to pay $1.45 billion to the family of a former FBI agent believed to have been kidnapped while on an unauthorized CIA mission to an Iranian island in 2007.

The judgment this month comes after Robert Levinson's family and the US government now believe he died in the Iranian government's custody, which is long denied by Tehran, though officials over time have offered contradictory accounts about what happened to him on Kish Island.

Tensions remain high between the US and Iran amid President Donald Trump's pressure campaign over Tehran's nuclear program. And though the US and Iran haven't had diplomatic relations since the aftermath of the 1979 US Embassy hostage crisis in Tehran, Washington stills holds billions of dollars in frozen Iranian assets that could be used to pay Levinson's family.

In a ruling dated Thursday, the US District Court in Washington found Iran owed Levinson's family $1.35 billion in punitive damages and $107 million in compensatory damages for his kidnapping.

The court cited the case of Otto Warmbier, a US college student who died in 2017 shortly after being freed from captivity in North Korea, in deciding to award the massive amount of punitive damages to Levinson's family, The Associated Press reported.

“Iran’s conduct here is also unique, given that — astonishingly — it plucked a former FBI and DEA special agent from the face of the earth without warning, tortured him, held him captive for as long as 13 years, and to this day refuses to admit its responsibility,” the ruling by Judge Timothy J. Kelly said.

“And his wife and children, and their spouses and children — while keeping Levinson’s memory alive — have had to proceed with their lives without knowing his exact fate. These are surely acts worthy of the gravest condemnation,” the judge added.

Iranian state media and officials in Tehran did not immediately acknowledge the ruling in a case in which Iran offered no defense. Iran's mission to the United Nations did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday from The Associated Press.

In a statement, Levinson's family called the court's award “the first step in the pursuit of justice.”

“Until now, Iran has faced no consequences for its actions,” the family said. “Judge Kelly’s decision won’t bring Bob home, but we hope that it will serve as a warning against further hostage taking by Iran.”

Levinson disappeared from Iran’s Kish Island on March 9, 2007. For years, US officials would only say that Levinson, a meticulous FBI investigator credited with busting Russian and Italian mobsters, was working for a private firm on his trip.

In December 2013, the AP revealed Levinson in fact had been on a mission for CIA analysts who had no authority to run spy operations.

Levinson’s family had received a $2.5 million annuity from the CIA in order to stop a lawsuit revealing details of his work, while the agency forced out three veteran analysts and disciplined seven others.



Team of US Troops Supporting a Missile Defense System Arrives in Israel

 This image provided by the US Air Force shows the US Army Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) launching station preparing to load onto a 4th Airlift Squadron C-17 Globemaster III at Fort Bliss, Texas, Feb. 23, 2019. (Staff Sgt. Cory D. Payne/US Air Force via AP)
This image provided by the US Air Force shows the US Army Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) launching station preparing to load onto a 4th Airlift Squadron C-17 Globemaster III at Fort Bliss, Texas, Feb. 23, 2019. (Staff Sgt. Cory D. Payne/US Air Force via AP)
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Team of US Troops Supporting a Missile Defense System Arrives in Israel

 This image provided by the US Air Force shows the US Army Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) launching station preparing to load onto a 4th Airlift Squadron C-17 Globemaster III at Fort Bliss, Texas, Feb. 23, 2019. (Staff Sgt. Cory D. Payne/US Air Force via AP)
This image provided by the US Air Force shows the US Army Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) launching station preparing to load onto a 4th Airlift Squadron C-17 Globemaster III at Fort Bliss, Texas, Feb. 23, 2019. (Staff Sgt. Cory D. Payne/US Air Force via AP)

A team of American troops supporting a missile defense system in Israel has arrived in the country, the US military said.

A statement from Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder announced the team’s arrival in Israel on Monday.  

They will operate a Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense battery there to defend against ballistic missile attacks from Iran.  

Tehran has launched two missile attacks on Israel as the wars in Gaza and Lebanon rage.

“Over the coming days, additional US military personnel and THAAD battery components will continue to arrive in Israel,” Ryder said. “The battery will be fully operational capable in the near future, but for operations security reasons we will not discuss timelines.”

Iran has warned US troops would be in harm’s way if Iran launches another attack on Israel.

The Biden administration believes it has won assurances from Israel that it will not hit Iranian nuclear or oil sites as it looks to strike back following Iran's missile barrage earlier this month, two US officials said Tuesday.

The administration also believes that sending the THAAD battery to Israel and roughly 100 soldiers to operate it has eased some of Israel’s concerns about possible Iranian retaliation and general security issues.

However, the US officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private diplomatic discussions, cautioned that the assurance is not iron-clad and that circumstances could change.  

The officials also noted that Israel’s track record on fulfilling assurances in the past is mixed and has often reflected domestic Israeli politics that have upended Washington’s expectations.