WASHINGTON, March 16 (Reuters) – Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s cousin said on Monday that he has identified 61-year-old Jewish-Iranian Kamran Hekmati as being wrongly detained in Iran.
“This designation is the U.S. government’s formal admission that Kamran is being held on false charges intended for the Iranians to take advantage of the U.S. government,” Shohreh Nowfar said in a statement.
News of the designation comes as the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran enters its third week.
The Office of the Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The “wrongful detention” designation means that a U.S. citizen is considered a political hostage, his or her case is handled by SPEHA, and his or her release receives high-level diplomatic attention and specialized resources.
Nofal said the designation “gives us the reassurance that our government will support us in bringing Kamran home safely.”
Hekmati, who has bladder cancer, is one of at least six U.S. citizens or permanent residents detained in Iran. He is being held in Tehran’s notorious Evin prison, according to detainee advocates.
The jewelry store owner was arrested last year and convicted of visiting Israel under a law that bars him from visiting the country for the past 10 years, even though he had documents showing his last trip was 13 years before his arrest, said Kieran Ramsey, a former FBI assistant director with the Global Impact advocacy group that represents the Hekmati family.
(Reporting by Jonathan Landy in Washington; Editing by Chris Reese and Matthew Lewis)
