US vows renewed pressured on Iran over Levinson

The State Department says they vow to put renewed pressure on Iran on what happened to Robert Levinson, on what is the 14th anniversary of his disappearance.

"The secretary committed to the Levinson family that finding answers, long overdue answers, as you alluded to, will be an absolute priority for us," said State Department Spokesperson Ned Price.

"We will press the Iranian government for those answers, as we have said, in the context of Americans who are being unjustly detained in Iran today."

Price's comments came after Secretary of State Antony Blinken called on the Iranian government to provide "credible answers" surrounding the abduction and likely death of former FBI agent Robert Levinson.

Levinson vanished on March 9, 2007, when he was scheduled to meet a source on the Iranian island of Kish.

For years, U.S. officials would say only that Levinson was working independently on a private investigation.

But a 2013 Associated Press investigation revealed that Levinson had been sent on a mission by CIA analysts who had no authority to run such an operation.

In 2020, Levinson's family said information U.S. officials had received had led them to conclude he was dead.

Neither the government nor the family described that information.

The death is believed to have occurred before the recent outbreak of the coronavirus that has gravely affected Iran and another countries, according to a statement from Levinson's family.

"Our approach to Iran is one that recognizes the necessity of diplomacy. And diplomacy in this case requires that we have channels for communication," said Price.

"We will use every single one of those channels as appropriate to press the case for those Americans who are unjustly detained in Iran today and for answers when it comes to Bob Levinson. Now, those channels of communication are one important tool. We also have other tools and means at our disposal to try and find those answers. We will use every single one of them."