A FORMER FBI agent who mysteriously vanished in 2007 has died in Iranian custody, his family concluded yesterday, saying US intelligence made them give up 13 years of hope.

President Donald Trump did not confirm Bob Levinson’s death, saying Iran did not communicate any news on the former agent, who would have turned 72 this month.

But Levinson’s family said they learnt that he was dead, but gave no information on how or when.

“We recently received information from US officials that led both them and us to conclude that our wonderful husband and father died while in Iranian custody,” said the family in a statement.

“We don’t even know when, or even if, his body will be returned to us. This is the very definition of cruelty.”

The family said Levinson died before the coronavirus pandemic, which has hit Iran hard and led authorities to release thousands of prisoners temporarily.

Levinson is one of a number of Americans who have disappeared in arch-enemy Iran, but his case has been among the most perplexing, with his family, until now, insisting that he was alive.

The father of seven vanished in March 2007 in Kish, an island that has more lenient visa rules than the rest of Iran, and was said to have been investigating cigarette counterfeiting.

But, The Washington Post reported in 2013 that Levinson, who had retired from the FBI, was working for the CIA and had gone on a rogue mission aimed at gathering intelligence on Iran.

It said at the time the CIA paid US$2.5 million (RM11 million) to Levinson’s wife, Christine, accepting responsibility for his disappearance.

His family yesterday accused Tehran of “repeatedly lying to the world” about Levinson, and renewed criticism of the initial US response. Officials initially did not classify Levinson as a hostage, and have consistently denied he worked for the government.

“Those who are responsible for what happened to Bob Levinson, including those in the US government, who, for many years, repeatedly left him behind, will ultimately receive justice for what they have done,” said the family.

“We will spend the rest of our lives making sure of this, and the Iranian regime must know we will not be going away.”

The FBI Agents Association, which represents more than 14,000 active and former agents, said it “will not forget Bob, and will support all efforts to bring to justice those responsible for this horrific crime”.

Years of mystery

Iranian officials have repeatedly said they had no information about Levinson.

In 2010, a videotape of a haggard, bearded Levinson emerged, in which he was in an orange jumpsuit of the sort worn by prisoners being held indefinitely at the US naval base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

The footage raised speculation that he might have been held by extremists in Pakistan, but US officials later discounted the possibility.

Trump, who, as a candidate, accused his predecessor, Barack Obama, of not doing enough for Levinson in negotiations with Iran, said the former agent had long-standing health problems.

“I don’t accept that he’s dead,” he told reporters when asked about the family’s statement.

“They haven’t told us that he’s dead, but a lot of people are thinking that is the case.”

Senator Bob Menendez, who employs one of Levinson’s sons, sounded more definitive about the ex-agent’s death, and vowed to hold Iran accountable.

“To be clear, the Iranian regime is fully responsible for Bob Levinson’s disappearance and death,” said the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Republican Senator Marco Rubio of Florida, where Levinson lived, also called for the US to “hold the evil regime accountable”.

Iran released four US citizens of Iranian descent in 2016 when it concluded a nuclear deal with Obama, but relations have sharply deteriorated under Trump, who withdrew from the accord and implemented sweeping sanctions.

Amid the Covid-19 pandemic, Iran last week freed US navy veteran Michael White, who had apparently come to Iran to see a woman he met online and was jailed for criticism of the regime.

He was handed over to Switzerland, which represents US interests in Iran, but not allowed to leave the country.

Iran is still holding dual US nationals Siamak Namazi, who was convicted of charges that include espionage, his father, Baquer, and environmental expert Morad Tahbaz. – AFP, March 26, 2020.