American who was wrongfully detained in Iran urges US citizens not to travel to country
Emad Shargi was among five Americans freed in September 2023 as part of a wider deal between the US and Iran. He spent more than five years imprisoned there.
In a video posted by State Department accounts on X Thursday, Shargi cautioned all Americans, including Iranian-Americans, not to visit.
'Now is a particularly bad time to travel there. I know you may want to visit family and loved ones, but there is a very high risk of arrest and imprisonment by the Iranian regime,' he said. 'Trust me, nothing is worth being tortured for and spending years of your life in filthy, dark Iranian jail cell.'
'To anyone planning to travel to Iran, listen to me: cancel your trip,' he said.
Shargi noted that he traveled to Iran to visit family in 2018 and was then arrested on false espionage charges.
'I know this because it happened to me,' he said.
'Before I went to Iran, I thought, 'This surely won't happen to you. These things happen to people who have done something wrong, who have said things against the Iranian regime,'' Shargi said.
'I was wrong. Don't make my mistake. To fellow Iranian Americans, your Iranian background does not protect you. It makes you an even greater target for Iranian authorities to use you as a political pawn,' he said.
Shargi's warning came as part of a new campaign redoubling longstanding warnings against travel to Iran. It comes following the conflict between Israel and Iran and after unprecedented US military strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.
A State Department spokesperson said Tehran does not recognize dual nationality but may target dual nationals because of their affiliation with the US. The travel advisory cautions that 'Iranian authorities routinely delay consular access to detained U.S. nationals,' and 'in particular, Iranian authorities consistently deny consular access to dual U.S.-Iranian nationals.'
The US has no diplomatic presence in Iran and relies on Swiss officials to check on Americans detained there.
'The risk of wrongful detention, or State hostage-taking, may be even greater for Iranian Americans, including dual nationals, as they have been routinely taken and held unjustly by the Iranian regime in the past, held for years on false charges, subjected to psychological torture, even sentenced to death,' Special Envoy Adam Boehler said.
For those who still choose to visit, the State Department has some stark advice: 'leave DNA samples' in case your loved ones need them and 'draft a will.'
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