Robert Levinson: An American Mystery That Cost Iran Billions

WANA (Jul 18) – In response to fresh accusations by the U.S. regarding Iran’s alleged role in the disappearance of Robert Levinson, Iran’s Foreign Ministry has strongly dismissed the claims as “baseless, diversionary, and misleading.” Tehran insists that Washington has provided no evidence of Levinson ever entering Iranian territory and is simply recycling an outdated narrative to avoid addressing its own public opinion. Nonetheless, the U.S. has once again accused three Iranian intelligence officials of abducting Levinson, reopening an old case with new costs for Iran.

New U.S. Allegation: Three Iranian Officials on the Wanted List

In its latest move, the FBI has accused three Iranian intelligence officials of involvement in the “kidnapping and concealment” of Robert Levinson’s disappearance:

Reza Amiri-Moghaddam – Iran’s current ambassador to Pakistan and former operations chief at the Ministry of Intelligence in Tehran

Taghi Daneshvar – a former counterintelligence official

Gholamhossein Mohammadi-Nia – former ambassador to Albania, reportedly expelled over security concerns

The FBI claims these individuals played a direct role in both Levinson’s abduction and the subsequent cover-up. There have also been efforts to attribute the case to terrorist groups in Pakistan.

Robert Levinson—a former FBI agent and CIA contractor / WANA News Agency

The U.S. Narrative: FBI Agent Caught in Iran?

The story begins on March 9, 2007, when Robert Levinson—a former FBI agent and CIA contractor—disappeared during a trip to Iran’s Kish Island. He was last seen at the Maryam Hotel, after which he vanished without a trace.

According to the U.S. government, Levinson had entered Iran on an unofficial CIA mission and was kidnapped by Iranian intelligence. Five years ago, a federal court in Washington, D.C. ordered Iran to pay $1.45 billion in damages—both punitive and compensatory—to Levinson’s family. In his 25-page ruling, Judge Timothy Kelly declared Iran “undoubtedly responsible for the hostage-taking of Robert Levinson,” even citing a Press TV article as part of the evidence.

On Tuesday, July 14, the FBI publicly named the three Iranian officials—Amiri-Moghaddam, Daneshvar, and Mohammadi-Nia—and charged them with involvement in Levinson’s disappearance.

Tehran Responds: No Evidence, No Responsibility

In a firm rebuttal, Iran denied all allegations. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei stated:

“In the past 18 years, no evidence has ever been provided of this individual entering Iran. The same old, baseless accusations are simply being repeated.”

He called the U.S. sanctions and threats against Iranian citizens arbitrary and in violation of international law, warning that Washington must be held accountable. Baghaei further argued that the U.S. is using the Levinson case to avoid scrutiny from its own public—despite Iran’s name not appearing definitively in many official records related to the case.

Billion-Dollar Verdict: The U.S. Court Ruling

In 2020, a U.S. federal court ordered the Islamic Republic of Iran to pay $1.45 billion to Levinson’s family—$107 million in compensatory damages and over $1.3 billion in punitive damages. Judge Kelly wrote:

“Iran abducted this former FBI agent and held him for over 13 years without any formal warning or disclosure.”

Reports suggest that the compensation is to be paid out of Iranian assets seized in the U.S. Washington has removed Iran’s sovereign immunity, enabling the prosecution and confiscation of assets tied to Iranian state entities.

Family Visits and Prolonged Silence

Levinson’s family visited Tehran in December 2007, a few months after his disappearance. They searched for clues at his hotel and at Kish airport. While his name didn’t appear on any outgoing flight manifests, his signature was found in the hotel’s checkout record.

Levinson’s family visited Tehran in December 2007, a few months after his disappearance / WANA News Agency

Throughout the years, Iran has maintained that it has no knowledge of Levinson’s whereabouts. During nuclear negotiations, American officials claimed Iran had promised to help determine his fate—claims Iranian officials denied.

Photos, Videos, and Persistent Ambiguity

U.S. media outlets have periodically released images and videos to support claims that Levinson was held in Iran. One image shows Levinson with a long beard, wearing an orange jumpsuit resembling those worn by Guantanamo detainees. In a video, he pleads for help, referencing his deteriorating health but also noting that his captors treated him well.

The video, reportedly sent from Pakistan to Levinson’s family, sparked speculation that he may have been moved there. Nonetheless, Washington continues to insist that he was held—and died—in Iran.

Meanwhile, some sources, including Iranian-American journalist Jason Rezaian (himself once detained in Iran), claimed that Iranian officials had told the UN that a case file on Levinson existed at Tehran’s Revolutionary Court. That claim was later denied by Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi.

Robert Levinson—a former FBI agent and CIA contractor / WANA News Agency

One Agent, Multiple Narratives

Although Levinson had retired from the FBI, reports suggest he was working on an unofficial CIA mission at the time of his disappearance. He traveled to Kish under the pretext of investigating cigarette smuggling and was reportedly set to meet Dawud Salahuddin—an Iranian-American accused of assassinating a former Iranian official in the U.S.

Over the years, Levinson became a multifaceted figure:

• To some, a victim of covert CIA operations gone wrong

• To his family, an innocent hostage who never returned home

• To the Iranian government, the centerpiece of a fabricated security case lacking evidence

An Open Wound in U.S.-Iran Security Relations

The Levinson case is no longer merely a missing persons mystery—it has become a permanent fixture in the tense judicial and intelligence dynamics between Tehran and Washington. For the U.S., it’s a symbol of “unanswered hostage-taking.” For Iran, it’s “an unfounded accusation with heavy diplomatic and financial consequences.”

Nearly two decades later, Levinson’s true fate remains unresolved. Did he die in Iran? Was he transferred to Pakistan? Was his mission truly unofficial? These are questions that neither U.S. courts, Iranian officials, nor the FBI have been able to definitively answer.

Meanwhile, Iran continues to assert: “There is no evidence of Levinson entering Iran, and no information on his fate.”

And the United States continues to exert pressure, demanding “accountability from Tehran.”