Washington D.C. – Washington Institute, Aug 08, 2025
Both before and after the twelve-day war, the Islamic Republic has taken U.S. citizens hostage, necessitating a multifaceted U.S.-led strategy that ends the practice for good.
“ATTN ALL AMERICAN CITIZENS AND DUAL-NATIONALS: DO NOT TRAVEL TO IRAN,” warned a July 10 U.S. State Department advisory posted in Persian and all-caps English. While it is unclear how widely the message will reach beyond Washington, the warning is especially urgent in the post-twelve-day-war climate, during which at least five dual and foreign nationals—including some four Iranian-Americans—have been arrested, according to figures compiled by The Washington Institute (see below for a full list of current hostages and wrongful detainees).
Since the Iran hostage crisis of 1979–81, when revolutionaries held fifty-two U.S. diplomats for 444 days—and an additional fourteen citizens more briefly—the Islamic Republic has transformed hostage-taking into a tool of statecraft, a source of revenue, and a means of gaining the release of its own nationals—often closely tied to the clerical establishment. Former hostage Nizar Zakka, a U.S. permanent resident at the time of his recent detention, described Iran’s practice as a “business model,” noting that he took over the cell previously occupied by Washington Post journalist Jason Rezaian. Australian academic Kylie Moore-Gilbert, who was also held in Iran, observed a disturbing hierarchy: “Foreign prisoners fetch the highest price.”
