UK – Iran International, Mar. 17, 2026
Daniel Levinson, son of retired FBI agent Robert Levinson who vanished in Iran over 19 years ago, says the US‑Israeli strikes could bring long‑delayed justice to his family and strengthen the fight for freedom against Tehran’s oppressive regime.
Few Americans have been more entangled with the secretive world of Iran’s intelligence operations than the Levinson family.
Robert Levinson, a 22‑year FBI veteran who spent his career dismantling criminal networks and pursuing corrupt regimes, vanished in March 2007 after traveling to Kish Island for what was later revealed to be an unsanctioned CIA mission.
He had gone to meet a source as part of an investigation into corruption and money laundering when Iranian intelligence detained him.
Washington later concluded that Levinson likely died in Iranian custody, though his remains were never recovered. In 2020, the US Treasury Department sanctioned Iranian officials Mohammad Baseri and Ahmad Khazai for their roles in his disappearance.
Baseri’s name resurfaced this week when Iranian state media confirmed he was killed in the joint US‑Israeli airstrikes on Tehran that also hit Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) sites and intelligence facilities.
Learning of Baseri’s death, Levinson said, felt like a long‑overdue turning point, matched in significance only by the death of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on first day of war.
“Khamenei had the power to free my dad at any point and chose not to. He knew what was happening and did nothing, so for our family, it’s been an emotional moment — but not one of grief.”
