Reza Amiri Moghadam, Iran’s Ambassador to Pakistan, has been placed on the United States’ Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) “most wanted” list. This designation stems from his alleged involvement in the abduction, detention, and probable death of retired FBI special agent Robert A. Levinson, as well as supposed efforts to conceal Iran’s culpability. The U.S. is actively seeking information on Moghadam, whom the FBI identifies as an official within Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security.
According to the FBI, Levinson – who retired from the FBI in 1998 and subsequently worked as a private investigator – traveled to Kish Island, Iran, on March 8, 2007. He has not been publicly seen or heard from since his disappearance the following day. In 2010 and 2011, a video and several photographs surfaced depicting Levinson in captivity.
In March 2025, the U.S. Department of the Treasury sanctioned Moghadam and others for their roles in Levinson’s abduction, detention, and probable death. The FBI’s investigation continues, aiming to identify additional Iranian officials allegedly involved in Levinson’s disappearance.
The FBI is offering a reward of up to $5 million, and the U.S. Department of State’s Rewards For Justice Program is offering a reward of up to $20 million, for information directly leading to the location, recovery, and safe return of their former employee. A poster featuring Special Agent Robert A. Levinson has been released by the FBI.
Iran International reported that Levinson’s family, in 2020, issued a statement indicating their conclusion, based on information provided by U.S. officials, that he had died while in Iranian custody.
Reacting to the FBI’s most wanted list, Senator Jim Risch, Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, stated that the FBI “is leading the way on holding Iran accountable for the abduction of Bob Levinson, a devoted father and patriotic American.” In a post on X, he added, “We will never forget Bob and his family, and we will hold those responsible to account for their crimes.”
Washington’s latest action follows the recent 12-day Iran-Israel conflict, during which the U.S. bombed Iranian nuclear sites. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the foreign ministers of France, Germany, and the UK have, during a telephonic conversation, agreed to set the end of August as the informal deadline for reaching a nuclear deal with Iran. Should no agreement be finalized by this deadline, the three European powers intend to trigger the “snapback” mechanism, which would automatically re-impose all UN Security Council sanctions that were lifted under the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.
Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump has commented that Tehran was hoping to engage in discussions with the U.S., but he was in no rush to talk with Iran – a nation that has consistently refused to hold nuclear talks if they are contingent on it abandoning its uranium enrichment activities.
