Latest news with #Levinson
Economic Times
21-07-2025
- Politics
- Economic Times
Iran or US? Pakistan lands in a catch-22 situation as Iranian ambassador Reza Amiri Moghadam is 'most wanted' by FBI
ANI Reza Amiri Moghadam (M). Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) of the US has named three senior Iranian intelligence officers in connection with the 2007 abduction of retired FBI agent Robert A "Bob" Levinson from Kish Island in Iran, the US federal agency said in a statement. The three men identified are Reza Amiri Moghadam, Taghi Daneshvar and Gholamhossein Mohammadnia. The FBI's Washington Field Office said the trio played key roles in Levinson's kidnapping and in efforts to hide Iran's involvement. Reza Amiri Moghadam, an official of Iran's Ministry of Intelligence and Security, is wanted for questioning based on his alleged involvement in the abduction, detention, and probable death of retired FBI Special Agent Robert A. Levinson. Pakistan Link Reza Amiri Moghadam, now serving as Iran's ambassador to Pakistan, previously led operations for the Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS). The FBI says he was in charge of agents in Europe at the time Levinson disappeared, the FBI statement added. Reza Amiri Moghadam, an official of Iran's Ministry of Intelligence and Security, is wanted for questioning based on his alleged involvement in the abduction, detention, and probable death of retired FBI Special Agent Robert A. Levinson: — FBI Most Wanted (@FBIMostWanted) July 15, 2025 It is extremely rare for a nation to publicly issue a 'wanted' notice targeting an ambassador of another country, particularly when relations between the involved nations are not openly hostile. Such an action is not only diplomatically provocative but also places both the ambassador and the host country in a deeply awkward position, potentially straining otherwise stable international ties. In March 2025, the US Treasury Department sanctioned all three officials including Reza Amiri Foreign Ministry is yet to make any concrete statement regarding Reza Amiri Moghadam even though Ministry's spokesperson Shafqat Khan has spoken very highly about the Iran's ambassador to which shares border with Iran, has a sizeable Shia even as it is majority Sunni state. Iran is a Shia state but holds influence over the sect's population in Pakistan. However, going by the Islamabad's reactions, it seems that authority in Pakistan does not want to be seen as hostile state in front of President Donald Trump. Thus the Reza Amiri Moghadam issue has become a catch-22 situation for Pakistan. The FBI believes that Iranian intelligence services not only carried out the abduction but also spread false information to escape Daneshvar, who is known by several aliases, is another senior MOIS officer. He reportedly oversaw Mohammad Baseri, an MOIS officer who was sanctioned by the US earlier, during the time Levinson went third officer, Gholamhossein Mohammadnia, was Iran's ambassador to Albania. He was expelled from the country in 2018 for actions deemed harmful to Albania's national security. The FBI says he tried to shift blame for Levinson's disappearance onto a terrorist group in FBI is now offering a reward of up to 5 million US dollars for any information that could help locate Levinson or identify those responsible. The US State Department is offering a separate reward of up to 20 million US dollars for information that leads to Levinson's retired from the FBI in 1998. He was last seen on Kish Island in March 2007. While Iran has repeatedly denied involvement, US officials maintain that top Iranian intelligence officers planned the abduction and attempted to cover it up using disinformation. Q1. Who is President of USA?A1. President of USA is Donald Trump. Q2. Who is Reza Amiri Moghadam - wanted by FBI? A2. Reza Amiri Moghadam, now serving as Iran's ambassador to Pakistan, previously led operations for the Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS).
Time of India
21-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Iran or US? Pakistan lands in a catch-22 situation as Iranian ambassador Reza Amiri Moghadam is 'most wanted' by FBI
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) of the US has named three senior Iranian intelligence officers in connection with the 2007 abduction of retired FBI agent Robert A "Bob" Levinson from Kish Island in Iran, the US federal agency said in a statement. The three men identified are Reza Amiri Moghadam , Taghi Daneshvar and Gholamhossein Mohammadnia. The FBI's Washington Field Office said the trio played key roles in Levinson's kidnapping and in efforts to hide Iran's involvement. Reza Amiri Moghadam, an official of Iran's Ministry of Intelligence and Security, is wanted for questioning based on his alleged involvement in the abduction, detention, and probable death of retired FBI Special Agent Robert A. Levinson. Pakistan Link Reza Amiri Moghadam, now serving as Iran's ambassador to Pakistan, previously led operations for the Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS). The FBI says he was in charge of agents in Europe at the time Levinson disappeared, the FBI statement added. Reza Amiri Moghadam, an official of Iran's Ministry of Intelligence and Security, is wanted for questioning based on his alleged involvement in the abduction, detention, and probable death of retired FBI Special Agent Robert A. Levinson: — FBI Most Wanted (@FBIMostWanted) July 15, 2025 It is extremely rare for a nation to publicly issue a 'wanted' notice targeting an ambassador of another country, particularly when relations between the involved nations are not openly hostile. Such an action is not only diplomatically provocative but also places both the ambassador and the host country in a deeply awkward position, potentially straining otherwise stable international ties. Live Events In March 2025, the US Treasury Department sanctioned all three officials including Reza Amiri Moghadam. Pakistan Foreign Ministry is yet to make any concrete statement regarding Reza Amiri Moghadam even though Ministry's spokesperson Shafqat Khan has spoken very highly about the Iran's ambassador to Pakistan. Pakistan, which shares border with Iran, has a sizeable Shia even as it is majority Sunni state. Iran is a Shia state but holds influence over the sect's population in Pakistan. However, going by the Islamabad's reactions, it seems that authority in Pakistan does not want to be seen as hostile state in front of President Donald Trump. Thus the Reza Amiri Moghadam issue has become a catch-22 situation for Pakistan. USA vs Iran The FBI believes that Iranian intelligence services not only carried out the abduction but also spread false information to escape responsibility. Taghi Daneshvar, who is known by several aliases, is another senior MOIS officer. He reportedly oversaw Mohammad Baseri, an MOIS officer who was sanctioned by the US earlier, during the time Levinson went missing. The third officer, Gholamhossein Mohammadnia, was Iran's ambassador to Albania. He was expelled from the country in 2018 for actions deemed harmful to Albania's national security. The FBI says he tried to shift blame for Levinson's disappearance onto a terrorist group in Pakistan. The FBI is now offering a reward of up to 5 million US dollars for any information that could help locate Levinson or identify those responsible. The US State Department is offering a separate reward of up to 20 million US dollars for information that leads to Levinson's recovery. Levinson retired from the FBI in 1998. He was last seen on Kish Island in March 2007. While Iran has repeatedly denied involvement, US officials maintain that top Iranian intelligence officers planned the abduction and attempted to cover it up using disinformation. FAQs Q1. Who is President of USA? A1. President of USA is Donald Trump. Q2. Who is Reza Amiri Moghadam - wanted by FBI? A2. Reza Amiri Moghadam, now serving as Iran's ambassador to Pakistan, previously led operations for the Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS).
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First Post
21-07-2025
- Politics
- First Post
FBI seeking arrest of Iran's Pakistan ambassador is a challenge for Islamabad
On July 15 the US Federal Bureau of Investigation's (FBI) field office in Washington 'released seeking information posters featuring three senior Iranian intelligence officers who were involved in the abduction of retired FBI Special Agent Robert A 'Bob' Levinson from Kish Island, Iran, on March 9, 2007". The release of the posters is part of the FBI's ongoing investigation into Iranian officials who allegedly played roles in Bob's abduction and Iran's attempt to obfuscate its responsibility. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD One of the three, Reza Amiri Moghadam, is currently his country's ambassador to Pakistan. It is highly unusual for a country to issue a 'wanted' poster about another country's ambassador to a third country. This is especially so if the country issuing the poster and where the ambassador is stationed do not have hostile relations. It is embarrassing not only for the ambassador but also for the country to which he is accredited. Clearly, the US is not concerned with such diplomatic niceties, especially in Trumpian times! This is not the first occasion on which the US has made allegations regarding Moghadam's involvement in Levinson's disappearance from Kish Island more than 18 years ago. On March 25 this year, the US Treasury Department issued a press release that stated, inter alia ,'Today, the Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), in coordination with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), is imposing sanctions on three Iranian Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS) officials who were involved in the abduction, detention, and probable death of former FBI Special Agent Robert A 'Bob' Levinson. The individuals designated today, Reza Amiri Moghadam, Gholamhossein Mohammadnia, and Taqi Daneshvar, all played a role in Mr Levinson's abduction, probable death, and Iran's efforts to cover up or obfuscate their responsibility.' The press release went on to state, 'Reza Amiri Moghadam, also known as Ahmad Amirinia, has been a head of MOIS's operations unit, with MOIS agents in Europe at one point reporting to him in Tehran. Moghadam is the current Iranian ambassador to Pakistan. Moghadam has held a senior role in the Levinson case and has obfuscated the truth about Mr Levinson's abduction.' The FBI action of issuing wanted posters against Moghadam is more eye-catching than the Treasury action. It shows his photograph and puts him, as far as the US system is concerned, dramatically in an alleged criminal category. Consequently, it has caught far greater attention in Pakistan and elsewhere than the Treasury action. The US system is pursuing the Levinson case, among other reasons, because of the Robert Levinson Hostage Recovery and Hostage-Taking Accountability Act of December 2020 and a presidential order of 2023 taken pursuant to that act. The designations of individuals by the Treasury Department mean that all property and interests of the designated individuals under US control are 'blocked' and US nationals and entities are prevented from entering into a series of specific transactions against them. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD It is noteworthy that between the US Treasury designations and the FBI posters, a period of positivity has prevailed between the US and Pakistan. While the US has recently designated The Resistance Front (TRF), a proxy of Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba, as a foreign terrorist organisation, and this is a good and welcome development for India, Pakistan has registered a muted public protest. Indian policymakers should not, however, overlook that it took the US almost three months to do so after the dastardly Pahalgam attack. Besides, while the US did condemn the Pahalgam attack—as did every major country—it has not held Pakistan responsible for it. Despite India's statements to the contrary, President Donald Trump has repeatedly stated since May 10 how he prevented the armed hostilities between India and Pakistan from moving into the nuclear dimension. Most recently, he has said that five aircraft were lost during the hostilities, though he has not stated which country lost them. But given the Pakistani global narrative on this issue, Trump's lack of clarity should certainly not be welcome in India. Finally, it was during this period of positivity that Trump hosted Field Marshal Asim Munir for an unprecedented two-hour lunch and talks at the White House on June 18. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD In the light of these positive developments with the US, the Pakistanis have trod a very careful 'neutral' line on the Moghadam issue. The Pakistan Foreign Ministry has not issued any media statement. It has employed the ploy of responding to individual queries from both Pakistani and foreign media. Thus, the Ministry's spokesperson Shafqat Khan told the Pakistani newspaper Dawn's digital platform in response to a query on Moghadam, 'As far as Pakistan is concerned, the ambassador of Iran is widely respected for his role in the promotion of Pakistan-Iran relations. He is entitled to all the privileges, immunities, and respect due to [being an] ambassador, and that too from a friendly neighbouring country.' He made the same comment to Arab News. But, as of now, the Foreign Ministry has not put any comment on Moghadam on its website. This is an undoubted signal to Iran and the US. This is because, in terms of support, responses to specific media queries are, diplomatically, the lowest form of support for Moghadam. Thus, while Pakistan, which fully stood behind Iran during the Israel-Iran conflict and was critical of the US bombing of Iran's nuclear sites, cannot obviously take any step to embarrass Iran over Moghadam, it shows that it dearly wants the Moghadam issue not to really upset the US. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Pakistan's ties with Iran have witnessed a series of ups and downs since the Khomeini revolution. As a majority Sunni state, its alignment is really with the Sunni Arab world, which, despite all of China's efforts, is at fundamental odds with Iran. Yet, in view of its sizeable Shia population over which Iran has influence, Pakistan does not want its ties with its Shia neighbour to become or remain in the negative zone. It therefore wants them to return to a balance whenever an incident dents them badly. The last time this happened was in January 2024. Violating Pakistani airspace, Iran targeted what it called the bases of Jaish-e-Adl, an anti-Iranian Baluchi group. Two days later Pakistan used its air force to bomb supposed bases of anti-Pakistani Baluchi groups in Iran. Both countries swiftly cooled the situation thereafter. On the Moghadam matter, it is probable that in about six months, if not earlier, Pakistan would quietly ask Iran to replace him. It will be difficult for him to carry on his normal duties after the 'wanted' posters. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD A brief account of the Levinson backstory may also be of interest to readers. Levinson was, in the early part of his career, with the US Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA). He later joined the FBI, where he worked till 1998. After leaving the FBI, according to media reports, Levinson worked as a security consultant. In March 2007, he travelled to Kish Island in Iran. Kish is off the Iranian coast, and the Iranian system wants to develop it as a tourism hub and also a financial centre. Hence, they allow a more relaxed atmosphere to prevail there. It is claimed by the Americans that Levinson's visit to Kish was entirely private, but some media reports have claimed that he was on a mission where the concerned US officials who sent him had not received the required clearances. In Kish, Levinson met Dawud Salahuddin, a US national who had converted to Islam in the 1970s and who was obviously attracted to Ayatollah Khomeini and the Iranian Revolution. Salahuddin is accused of the killing in the US of the Khomeini critic Ali Akbar Tabatabaei. After this meeting he disappeared. He was last seen alive in a photograph received by his family in 2011. In 2020 Levinson's family publicly announced that he had most probably died. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD One significant lesson that the Indian system can derive from the Levinson case is never to close a file on the perpetrators of terrorist attacks against Indians. Their acts should not be forgotten or forgiven. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstpost's views.
The Print
18-07-2025
- Politics
- The Print
FBI seeks arrest of Iran Ambassador in Pakistan for role in ex-agent's abduction, move sparks diplomatic unease
'The ambassador of Iran is widely respected for his role in the promotion of Pakistan-Iran relations,' Pakistan's Foreign Office spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan said Wednesday. ''He is entitled to all the privileges, immunities and respect due to an ambassador.' The showdown, two diplomatic sources told ThePrint, is unprecedented in modern diplomatic history. Not only are ambassadors protected from criminal liability, but diplomatic premises are to be protected against 'any disturbance of the peace of the mission or impairment of its dignity'. Mogadham has served as Tehran's envoy to Pakistan since 2023. New Delhi: The United States Federal Bureau of Investigation has released posters seeking information on Reza Amiri Moghadam , Iran's current ambassador to Pakistan, in relation to the diplomat's alleged role in the kidnapping of retired FBI special agent Robert A. 'Bob' Levinson from Kish Island on 9 March, 2007. The notice offers a $5 million reward for information leading to the 'location, recovery and return' of the missing former agent. FBI officials claim extraterritorial jurisdiction over all crimes committed against American citizens anywhere in the world, and the agency could, in theory, claim the right to act against Ambassador Moghadam in Pakistan, an Indian intelligence official said. 'The release of the FBI's wanted lists is clearly meant to mount pressure on Pakistan, but Islamabad cannot be seen as caving in,' a second Indian diplomat said. 'There might be some effort to explore via media, like asking Tehran to recall its ambassador after a decent length of time.' Also Read: Weeks after India's Operation Sindoor strikes, JeM reopens pool at Bahawalpur terror centre CIA's contractor Levinson, who served as a Drug Enforcement Administration officer from 1970 to 1976, and then the FBI from 1976 to 1988, had disappeared in 2007 from Kish Island—a free trade zone in Iran, which does not require Americans to hold a visa to visit. The retired FBI agent was said to have been working on a freelance assignment for the Central Intelligence Agency, acting on behalf of a group of officers without the authority to order the mission. Levinson's family, the Associated Press reported, was paid an $2.5 million annuity in order to stop it from initiating legal proceedings, while several officers were disciplined. Little insight has emerged on the nature of Levinson's actual mission to Kish. Levinson is known to have contacted Dawud Salahuddin, an American fugitive living on the island and accused of the killing of former Iranian diplomat Ali Akbar Tabatabaei in 1980. The exiled Tabatabaei was holding meetings of a counter-revolutionary group in Bethesda, Maryland, at the time. Following his retirement from the FBI, Levinson had set himself up as a private-sector investigator specialising in the activities of Russian organised crime. US officials privately insisted that he had travelled to Kish to look into a cigarette smuggling cartel. Later, it was said Levinson was also investigating means used by Iran officials to move funds into the UAE. The hunt for Levinson eventually expanded to include several figures with alleged links to the Russian mafia, including Sarkis Soghanalian, a one-time arms dealer, and one of Russia's most powerful businessmen, Oleg Deripaska. Iranian negotiators, for their part, claimed that Levinson was being held by a 'radical splinter group', and that efforts were being made to secure his freedom. The issue was directly raised by former US president Barack Obama with his Iranian counterpart, Hassan Rouhani. No commitments were, however, given. Then, in March this year, the US Treasury Department sanctioned three intelligence officers—Gholamhossein Mohammadnia, Targi Daneshvar, and Ambassador Moghadam—on charges of responsibility for 'Mr. Levinson's abduction, probable death, and Iran's efforts to cover up or obfuscate their responsibility'. The FBI claimed that Daneshvar, who it said had the alias 'Sayyed Taghi Ghaemi', was a senior MOIS (Iranian Ministry of Intelligence and Security) counter-espionage officer, who reportedly supervised Mohammad Baseri—another person in the Bureau's most wanted list—around the time Levinson disappeared. Mohammadnia, the FBI said, served as Iran's ambassador to Albania in 2016. He was expelled from Albania in December 2018 for allegedly 'damaging its national security'—a move hailed by the US. The FBI claims he led efforts to shift blame for Levinson's disappearance to a terrorist group in Baluchistan. Also Read: ICC warrant against Taliban chief gives world a second chance to do right in Afghanistan
India.com
18-07-2025
- Politics
- India.com
Diplomat Or Spy? Why The US Put Iran's Ambassador To Pakistan On Its Most Wanted List
Washington: The United States has placed three Iranian nationals, including Iran's sitting ambassador to Pakistan, Reza Amiri Moghaddam, on its FBI Most Wanted list. The names appeared in a statement released by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, which linked them to the 2007 disappearance of former FBI special agent Robert Bob Levinson. According to the FBI, Levinson went missing on March 9, 2007, after arriving on Kish Island – a resort zone off Iran's southern coast. He was a retired officer by then. The bureau claimed that Moghaddam, along with two other Iranian officials, Taqi Daneshvar and Gholam Hossein Mohammadnia, were allegedly involved in orchestrating the abduction. The Iranian government has not responded publicly to the allegations. The FBI, in the statement, said it is investigating the trio's role not only in the abduction, but also in what it called an effort by the Iranian state to mask its involvement. The agency has released posters bearing their images, classifying them as part of a broader intelligence network allegedly operating under Iran's Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS). Officials said Moghaddam is no ordinary diplomat. He assumed office as Iran's envoy to Islamabad in July 2023. Information about him is sparse on the Iranian embassy's website, but it highlights that he holds a PhD in international relations and also serves on Iran's Supreme National Security Council. However, the FBI claims Moghaddam previously led operations within the Iranian intelligence ministry. At the time, agents stationed across Europe were reportedly answerable to him. Steven Jensen, assistant director in charge of the FBI's Washington Field Office, described the three as intelligence operatives who played key roles in Levinson's disappearance. He also said the former agent might have died in captivity, far from family, friends and homeland. The FBI is continuing its investigation and has reaffirmed a standing $5 million reward for information that could help locate Levinson or shed light on the circumstances surrounding his case. The second man named by the FBI, Taqi Daneshvar, also known as Seyed Taqi, is described as a senior MOIS official specialising in counterterrorism. During the period of Levinson's disappearance, he allegedly oversaw another operative named Mohammad Sinai, also known as Mohammad Basiri. The third individual, Gholam Hossein Mohammadnia, once served as Iran's ambassador to Albania. He was expelled by the Albanian government over what it described as actions that threatened national security. Iran, in turn, had blamed the United States and Israel for allegedly pressuring Tirana to take that decision. Levinson's career spanned nearly three decades at the U.S. Justice Department. He officially retired from the FBI in 1998. At the time of his disappearance, he had been working privately, reportedly gathering information for corporate clients. What exactly brought him to Kish Island has never been made public by either the U.S. government or the FBI. Years after his disappearance, his son David received a video showing Levinson in captivity. In that recording, Levinson was heard saying that he had been held for three and a half years, and appealed to the U.S. government to respond to his captors. His fate remains unknown. The FBI has not officially declared him dead, and his case remains open.
