Key facts
- Levinson's family seeks a portion of Iran's frozen assets for compensation and accountability.
- The Rezaian family won a $180 million judgment against Iran in 2019.
- Lobbyists have engaged the White House and State Department on behalf of the Levinsons.
- The State Department is aware of the request and committed to pursuing justice.
- President Trump previously stated he would demand compensation from Iran for those harmed in conflicts.
- U.S. courts have issued over $120 billion in financial judgments against Iran.
Families of Americans held hostage by Iran are seeking to leverage lobbying efforts and legal judgments to secure compensation from frozen Iranian assets. The family of Bob Levinson, who disappeared in 2007 and whose remains have not been returned, is asking that any negotiations with Iran include a provision to set aside funds until his remains are repatriated and the circumstances of his fate are clarified. "He deserves to be at rest, at home in the country he loved," the Levinson family stated.
The family of Jason Rezaian, an Iranian-American journalist detained in Iran, secured a $180 million judgment against Iran in 2019. Lobbying firms, including Ballard and the BGR team, have engaged with the White House and the State Department on behalf of the Levinsons. The State Department acknowledged the request, stating its commitment to pursuing justice for victims of hostage-taking by Iran, but declined to discuss internal deliberations.
White House spokesperson Anna Kelly indicated the president is open to a "good deal" with Iran that includes renouncing nuclear weapons, without directly addressing the compensation request. However, President Donald Trump previously posted on Truth Social that he would "demand compensation from Iran, for all of the people that they have killed and gravely wounded with their roadside bombs and many conflicts," and include this in future negotiations. These financial judgments stem from a 1996 law allowing victims to sue state sponsors of terror, with funding often derived from civil penalties and assets seized from entities violating sanctions against Iran. The Justice Department reported in August that U.S. courts have issued over $120 billion in unpaid financial judgments against Iran.