The US State Department on Friday designated Iran as a State Sponsor of Wrongful Detention, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio saying Tehran must stop taking hostages and release all Americans unjustly detained to end the designation. “No American should travel to Iran for any reason,” Rubio said, urging US citizens currently in Iran to leave immediately.
“Today, I am designating Iran as a State Sponsor of Wrongful Detention,” Rubio said in a statement. He accused Tehran of using foreign nationals as leverage for decades, tracing the practice back to the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
“When the Iranian regime seized power 47 years ago, Ayatollah Khomeini consolidated his control of power by endorsing the hostage taking of U.S. embassy staff,” Rubio said. “For decades, Iran has continued to cruelly detain innocent Americans, as well as citizens of other nations, to use as political leverage against other states. This abhorrent practice must end.”
The move follows an executive order issued by President Donald Trump last fall aimed at protecting U.S. nationals from wrongful detention abroad. Congress subsequently enacted the Countering Wrongful Detention Act of 2025, authorizing the State Department to apply the designation.
Rubio warned that additional measures could follow if Iran does not change course. “If Iran does not stop, we will be forced to consider additional measures, including a potential geographic travel restriction on the use of US passports to, through, or from Iran,” he said.
“The Iranian regime must stop taking hostages and release all Americans unjustly detained in Iran, steps that could end this designation and associated actions,” Rubio added. “We encourage it to do so.”
The announcement comes amid mounting tensions between Washington and Tehran. The two countries held talks Thursday over Iran’s nuclear program, but President Trump later expressed disappointment with the negotiations, warning that “sometimes you have to use force.”
Iran has previously rejected US accusations of hostage diplomacy, saying detainees are held under its judicial system on legitimate charges.
