US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Friday that he has designated Iran as a state that supports the illegal detention of people.
“The Iranian regime must stop taking hostages and release all Americans wrongfully held in Iran,” Rubio said in a statement.
The move comes at a time of heightened tensions between the US and Iran, despite the two countries holding talks on Iran’s nuclear program on Thursday.
US President Donald Trump said on Friday he was disappointed with the negotiations, warning that “sometimes you have to use force”.
Rubio’s announcement on Iran
“Today, I designate Iran as a state that supports illegal detention. When the Iranian regime came to power 47 years ago, Ayatollah Khomeini consolidated his grip on power by supporting the hostage-taking of US embassy staff. For decades, Iran has continued to brutally detain innocent Americans, as well as citizens of other countries, to use as political leverage against other states. This heinous practice must end.
President Trump last fall issued an executive order to protect American citizens from wrongful detention abroad, and then Congress passed the Countering Wrongful Detention Act of 2025, authorizing the Department to designate Iran as a state sponsor of wrongful detention. If Iran does not stop, we will be forced to consider additional measures, including a possible geographic restriction on travel with US passports to, through, or from Iran.
The Iranian regime must stop taking hostages and release all Americans illegally held in Iran, steps that could end this designation and related actions. We encourage it to do so. No American should travel to Iran for any reason. We reiterate our call to Americans currently in Iran to leave immediately.”
