Son of missing CIA contractor says Iran official linked to kidnapping attended peace talks
Robert Levinson's son, Dan Levinson, expresses outrage that an Iranian negotiator, linked to his father's 2007 kidnapping, attended recent peace talks in Islamabad, Pakistan. He demands accountability for his father, the longest-held U.S. hostage. President Donald Trump warns Iran about their nuclear program as a ceasefire expires, stressing the regime only responds to strength and continuous pressure.
The son of America’s longest-held hostage said an Iranian tied to his father’s kidnapping took part in the first round of peace talks.
Dan Levinson, son of former FBI agent Robert Levinson, argued it’s a "slap in the face" to his family to have the official involved in talks as the United States and Iran teeter on the edge of a fragile ceasefire.
"There’s only a few people in the world who know exactly what happened to my dad, who were involved in what happened to my dad. The FBI identified five of them," Levinson said on "Fox & Friends" Tuesday.
"One of them was killed in the initial airstrikes at the start of this conflict. And another one is hiding in plain sight," he added.
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The FBI said it received an image of Robert Levinson in April 2011, four years after the former FBI agent disappeared in Iran while on a CIA-related mission. (Screenshot/FBI)
Robert Levinson is the longest-held hostage in U.S. history after vanishing in 2007 on Kish Island. He was working as a CIA contractor at the time of his disappearance. In 2020, U.S. officials announced they believed he had died in Iranian custody, though his remains were never recovered.
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Dan Levinson is now calling out Reza Amiri Moghadam, Iran's current ambassador to Pakistan, who took part in the first round of high-level talks in Islamabad. Levinson said Amiri Moghadam was one of several individuals identified as having a direct role in his father's abduction nearly two decades ago.
"It’s a slap in the face to our family, slap in the face to the United States of America," Levinson said, adding, "It hurts their [Pakistan’s] credibility as an independent intermediary between the two countries because they're allowing this man to take part in all of this."
From left, FBI Director Kash Patel, Assistant to the President for Counterterrorism Sebastian Gorka and Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with Daniel Levinson, the son of Robert Levinson, during a U.S. Hostage and Wrongful Detainee flag-raising ceremony at the State Department on March 9, 2026, in Washington, D.C. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images)
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The two-week ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran is due to expire this week. Representatives from both nations are expected to return to Islamabad for a new round of talks. Vice President JD Vance was set to lead the U.S. delegation in Pakistan Tuesday but was called back to the White House for additional policy meetings, putting his travel plans in question.
Levinson offered a warning for the negotiators, noting his family’s long history of dealing with the regime during his father’s captivity. He argued Iran only responds to "pressure" and "strength."
Vice President JD Vance spoke to reporters before boarding Air Force Two at Budapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport on April 8, 2026, in Budapest, Hungary. (Jonathan Ernst-Pool/Getty Images)
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"They don't understand kindness. We learned that in almost two decades of dealing with the Iranians," Levinson said, adding that the U.S. "need[s] to keep confronting them and calling them out on things like this."
It’s a sentiment echoed by President Donald Trump during a recent interview with FOX Business’ Maria Bartiromo. When asked why his voice was hoarse, Trump told Bartiromo it was because he had been "screaming at Iranians all day," adding, "Because that’s the only thing they understand. They don’t understand being nice. They understand the way I have to do business."
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