Washington [US], July 16 (ANI): The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has named three senior Iranian intelligence officers in connection with the 2007 abduction of retired FBI agent Robert A. “Bob” Levinson from Kish Island in Iran, the US federal agency announced in a statement.
The three men identified are Reza Amiri Moghadam, Taghi Daneshvar, and Gholamhossein Mohammadnia. The FBI’s Washington Field Office said the trio played key roles in Levinson’s kidnapping and in efforts to conceal Iran’s involvement.
“These three intelligence officers were among those who allegedly facilitated Bob’s 2007 abduction and the subsequent cover-up by the Iranian government. Bob likely later perished in captivity far away from his family, friends, and colleagues,” said Steven Jensen, Assistant Director in Charge of the Washington Field Office. “The FBI will continue its relentless pursuit to hold anyone involved in his abduction to account for their reprehensible actions.”
The FBI believes that Iranian intelligence services not only carried out the abduction but also spread disinformation to evade responsibility.
Reza Amiri Moghadam, now serving as Iran’s ambassador to Pakistan, previously led operations for the Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS). The FBI stated that he was in charge of agents in Europe at the time Levinson disappeared.
Taghi Daneshvar, who is known by several aliases, is another senior MOIS officer. He reportedly oversaw Mohammad Baseri, an MOIS officer who was sanctioned by the US earlier, during the time Levinson went missing.
The third officer, Gholamhossein Mohammadnia, was Iran’s ambassador to Albania. He was expelled from the country in 2018 for actions deemed harmful to Albania’s national security. The FBI says he attempted to shift blame for Levinson’s disappearance onto a terrorist group in Pakistan.
In March 2025, the US Treasury Department sanctioned all three officials. Two other Iranian intelligence officers, Baseri and Ahmad Khazai, had already been sanctioned in 2020.
The FBI is now offering a reward of up to $5 million for any information that could help locate Levinson or identify those responsible. The US State Department is offering a separate reward of up to $20 million for information that leads to Levinson’s recovery.
Levinson retired from the FBI in 1998. He was last seen on Kish Island in March 2007. While Iran has repeatedly denied involvement, US officials maintain that top Iranian intelligence officers planned the abduction and attempted to cover it up using disinformation. (ANI)
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