US designates Iran as state sponsor of wrongful detention
Feb 28th 2026
The State Department announced the first use of a new executive order to label Iran a state sponsor of wrongful detention, citing years of detaining Americans and warning of travel restrictions and other penalties.
- The State Department on Friday formally designated Iran as a state sponsor of wrongful detention under an executive order signed last September.
- This is the first use of that executive order, which aims to deter countries from illegally detaining US citizens.
- Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Iran uses detained Americans as political leverage and warned of possible measures, including geographic travel restrictions on US passports to, through, or from Iran.
- The designation could be ended if Iran releases all Americans it is holding, the State Department said.
- Two Americans named in reports as currently detained in Iran are journalist Reza Valizadeh and Kamran Hekmati, both facing serious health and legal concerns.
- Officials said the US could apply the wrongful detention designation to other countries in the future, including Afghanistan or Russia.