The US Treasury Department blacklisted two senior officials of the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence and Security after accusing them of involvement in the 2007 disappearance of former FBI agent, Robert Levinson.
The Treasury sanctioned Mohammad Baseri and Ahmad Khazai of the Iranian Ministry for Levinson's abduction, detention, and possible death in Iranian prisons.
With few weeks remaining in the term of outgoing US President Donald Trump, the sanctions indicate an attempt to increase pressure on the Iranian regime before the administration's departure.
This also aims to limit the scope of any negotiations President-elect Joe Biden may seek to hold to revive the nuclear deal with Iran.
Three US nationals are still being held in Iran.
“We all expect a negotiation next year,” a senior US official told reporters. “There should be no agreement negotiated with Iran ever again that doesn’t free the Americans who are unjustly detained in that country.”
Baseri is a high-ranking officer in the Interior Ministry in the counterintelligence unit, and he has participated in sensitive investigations related to Iranian national security issues.
The Treasury said Baseri had worked directly with intelligence officials of other countries to harm US interests.
Khazai is also a high-ranking official in the Interior Ministry and has led delegations to other countries to coordinate security and intelligence cooperation.
Both officials are identified as “senior officials” in Iran's Ministry of Intelligence and Security and were involved in Levinson's abduction on an Iranian island in March 2007, according to the US administration.
Levinson, a US FBI agent, disappeared on March 9, 2007, on Kish Island while on a mission for the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). It is believed that he was detained in Iran, but the government denied having any information about him.
The US government denied he was working for an intelligence agency saying he retired in 1998 and was working as a private investigator, likely probing a smuggling ring.
However, in 2013, the Associated Press reported that Levinson was on a mission for the CIA.
Levinson’s family said in March 2020 it believed Levinson died in Iranian custody, based on information from US officials.
US officials stated that Iranian intelligence arrested Levinson for questioning and used him as a bargaining chip in negotiations with Washington.
He was last seen alive in 2011 when he appeared in a hostage video dressed in an orange prison suit.
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin stated that Levinson's abduction signifies the willingness of the Iranian regime to commit unjust acts.
“The United States will always prioritize the safety and security of the American people and will continue to aggressively pursue those who played a role in Mr. Levinson’s detention and probable death.”
The Iranian government had denied knowledge of Levinson's presence on its soil and pledged to search for him and return him to the United States, but it did not.
“The truth is that Iranian intelligence officers — with the approval of senior Iranian officials — were involved in Bob’s abduction and detention,” FBI Director Christopher Wray said in a statement.
