War Puts American Prisoners in Iran at Risk, Advocates Warn

Relatives and advocates for six Americans imprisoned in Iran worry their loved ones could become casualties of the escalating Middle East conflict. At least two detainees are held at Tehran's Evin Prison, which has been targeted by Israeli airstrikes in the past.

NEW YORK — Relatives and advocates for Americans imprisoned in Iran express growing concern that their loved ones could become casualties of the escalating Middle East conflict, either through accidental targeting during military strikes or through retaliation by Iranian authorities.

“For Americans imprisoned in Iran, this is about as terrifying a moment as it gets,” said Siamak Namazi, an Iranian American who was detained for nearly eight years before being released as part of a deal with the U.S. in 2023. “What these families are facing now is days of war with no clear end in sight.”

While U.S. officials decline to specify the number of Americans held in Iran, the James W. Foley Legacy Foundation, which advocates for hostages, reports six Americans are currently detained and face “unprecedented danger” due to the ongoing military conflict.

The documented cases include a former Washington-based journalist and a Jewish Iranian American from New York who went to Iran for family matters last year and has been prevented from returning home.

Two of the confirmed detainees are imprisoned at Evin Prison, Tehran’s infamous facility where Namazi was previously held, according to their representatives. The maximum-security complex houses many of Iran’s political prisoners and has previously been targeted in Israeli bombing campaigns.

Kamran Hekmati, a 61-year-old Long Island resident held at Evin, contacted his wife Monday during the early days of the conflict to confirm his immediate safety, according to his cousin Shohreh Nowfar.

However, his family remains concerned about his deteriorating health, as he has not received consistent treatment for bladder cancer since his detention began months ago, she explained.

“It’s an uncertain time in an uncertain country,” said Nowfar, who lives in Los Angeles.

Ryan Fayhee, who represents detained Iranian American journalist Reza Valizadeh at Evin, said he has emphasized the critical nature of the situation during ongoing discussions with White House and State Department officials.

Israeli military forces have recently used social media platforms to urge residents near the prison facility to evacuate as airstrikes continue. Relatives of other foreign prisoners at Evin have reported to European media that explosions have occurred close enough to shatter prison windows.

“It’s my job to let the administration and the Israeli government know that there are innocent American citizens within that prison,” Fayhee said. “They should take great care with this military action to avoid any unfortunate collateral damage.”

White House and State Department representatives declined to address specific questions regarding the detainees’ status, citing safety and security concerns, but demanded Iran release them immediately.

“President Trump has been clear that he wants every American wrongfully detained to be returned home safe and sound, and that there will be dire consequences for regimes who treat Americans as political pawns,” said Anna Kelly, a White House spokesperson.

Valizadeh is one of at least 15 journalists currently imprisoned in Iran, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.

The 50-year-old left Iran in 2009 following his coverage of the country’s pro-democracy demonstrations, according to a petition his attorneys filed with the United Nations in January.

Valizadeh became a U.S. citizen in 2022 while employed in Washington by Radio Farda, the Persian-language division of Radio Free Europe, which receives U.S. government support.

He was arrested in 2024 after traveling to Iran to see his aging parents and received a 10-year prison sentence on accusations of working with the U.S. government.

The U.S. has formally classified Valizadeh as wrongfully detained, indicating officials believe in his innocence and have transferred his case to the State Department’s special presidential envoy for hostage affairs, the government’s top hostage negotiator.

Another American whose situation has become known publicly is Afarin Mohajer, a California resident who was born in Iran.

She was arrested in September and faces charges of sharing anti-government propaganda on social media and insulting Iran’s Supreme Leader and Islam, according to her son Reza Zarrabi, a political activist living in Germany.

Zarrabi did not respond to recent interview requests, but has previously told European journalists that his mother avoids political activities and believes she was detained to suppress his vocal criticism of the Iranian government.

Hekmati’s relatives are certain the New York City jewelry store owner represents another case of Iran’s “hostage diplomacy.”

For decades, Iran has imprisoned Americans hoping to secure the freedom of Iranians detained in the U.S. or to extract political concessions from Washington. Just last week, the U.S. moved to penalize Iran for hostage-taking, with the State Department designating the country as a state sponsor of wrongful detention one day before the current conflict erupted.

Nowfar explained that her cousin Hekmati departed Iran following the 1979 revolution but had made multiple trouble-free return visits.

In May, Iranian officials detained him at the airport, confiscated his passport and prohibited his departure. He was subsequently charged under Iranian legislation that criminalizes visits to Israel within the previous decade.

Hekmati’s family insists his most recent Israel trip occurred approximately 13 years ago for his son’s Bar Mitzvah ceremony. They also reject espionage allegations claiming he met with Mossad operatives.

“They just wanted to have a hostage. An American hostage,” Nowfar said.

Additional worries exist that Hekmati’s religious background could lead to further mistreatment, according to Kieran Ramsey, chief investigative officer at Global Reach, a nonprofit organization working on Hekmati’s case.

“He’s not only American, he’s also Jewish — and we had had some concerns early on in this case of him” getting bullied, said Ramsey, who previously directed the U.S. government’s Hostage Recovery Fusion Cell.

Namazi understands the anguish families experience while seeking reassurance, remembering a devastating 2022 fire that claimed at least eight prisoners’ lives during his imprisonment at Evin.

“I remember the smoke, the confusion, and the total absence of reliable information,” the 54-year-old Washington resident said. “For us prisoners it was terrifying. My mother says that night was one of the hardest she endured.”