Iranian official maintains Tehran has ‘no knowledge’ of American hostage’s whereabouts

A spokesperson for Iran’s mission to the United Nations said Thursday that Tehran has no information on an FBI agent who disappeared in the country 13 years ago and whose family says has died in Iranian custody.

Robert Levinson disappeared in March 2007, with his family releasing a hostage video in December 2011 they said they received the previous November.

“Iran has always maintained that its officials have no knowledge of Mr. Levinson’s whereabouts, and that he is not in Iranian custody. Those facts have not changed,” Iranian mission spokesman Alireza Miryousefi tweeted Thursday.

Iran has always maintained that its officials have no knowledge of Mr. Levinson’s whereabouts, and that he is not in Iranian custody. Those facts have not changed. https://t.co/ZZLXYIdVAI

— Alireza Miryousefi (@miryousefi) March 25, 2020

President Trump has said he was not informed that Levinson is dead, while White House national security adviser Robert O’Brien said “we believe that Bob Levinson may have passed away some time ago” but that an investigation was ongoing, Reuters reported.

Tehran previously denied any knowledge of Levinson’s then-current status or whereabouts in November. In a 2013 conversation between then-President Obama and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, Obama expressed concern about Levinson’s disappearance.

Rouhani said in that same year, “As to where his whereabouts when he disappeared, I personally have no information on those details, but, naturally, when someone disappears their family is suffering in specific. Everyone must help. It’s natural that everyone must help.”