The Trump administration has labeled Iran a state sponsor of arbitrary arrests
The Trump administration on Friday formally designated Iran as a state sponsor of arbitrary detention, increasing pressure in Tehran during the rise military conflict and sputtering diplomacy.
The appointment, announced by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, was implemented by authorities created under the executive order signed in September that increased the government’s ability to punish countries accused of denying Americans the ability to engage in political negotiations. It is the first time that the country has been officially listed under that framework.
“For decades, Iran has continued to brutally imprison innocent Americans, as well as foreign nationals, to use as political leverage against other states,” Rubio said in a statement. “This disgusting practice must end.”
Under the new order, Rubio is empowered to enforce a range of measures, including economic sanctions, export controls and visa restrictions targeting individuals or organizations linked to unjust detention policies. Authorities are modeled in part by instruments used in terrorism-related but legally distinct terms. The United States has already designated Iran as a state sponsor of terrorism since 1984, during the Reagan administration.
In addition to financial penalties, the executive order authorizes the State Department to impose travel restrictions on US passport holders — potentially limiting or prohibiting travel to countries designated as sponsors of wrongful arrest. Officials have previously described the travel authority as one of the most powerful deterrents available, aimed at protecting Americans from high-risk areas and increasing pressure on governments to detain Americans.
Imposing travel restrictions on Iran would raise barriers to travel to the country by US passport holders similar to those faced by travelers to North Korea. US passports cannot be used in North Korea unless specifically authorized by the travel secretary of state.
“The Iranian regime must stop abducting and release all Americans wrongfully imprisoned in Iran, actions that could end this nomination and the actions that go along with it,” Rubio’s statement said.
The Iranian diaspora living in the United States is estimated at more than 600,000, according to the UCLA Center for Near East Studies – all of whom would be greatly affected by the imposition of expanded travel restrictions in Iran.
The official appointment comes as nuclear and security talks between Washington and Tehran in Geneva ended this week without agreement on key issues, including limits on uranium enrichment and sanctions relief. On Monday, technical teams from both sides are expected to meet again in Vienna, where the International Atomic Energy Agency is headquartered.
The State Department authorized non-emergency personnel and their family members to leave Israel on Friday, citing unspecified “security risks.” Deputy Speaker Tommy Piggott also announced that Rubio will travel to Israel from March 2-3 to discuss Iran, Lebanon, and President Trump’s 20-point Gaza peace plan.
Friday’s appointment also comes against a backdrop of high-profile arrests that have intensified scrutiny of Iran’s practices.
Among them are the case of Reza Valizadeh, an Iranian-American journalist recently jailed in Iran under conditions that US officials and lawyers have raised as part of broader concerns about politically motivated detentions of those deemed critical of the regime. Valizadeh is one of at least four Iranian-Americans believed to be being held in Iran, including 70-year-old Kamran Hekmati and at least one other woman in her seventies, sources familiar with the matter told CBS News.
American officials are also considering the use of the label in Afghanistan, also known as holding at least two US citizens.
