Islamabad, July 16, 2025: In a dramatic escalation of tensions, the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has added Iran’s Ambassador to Pakistan, Reza Amiri Moghadam, to its “Most Wanted” list over his alleged involvement in the abduction, detention, and probable death of retired FBI agent Robert A. Levinson.
Moghadam, who currently serves as Tehran’s top diplomat in Islamabad, has been identified by the FBI as an official of Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS). The bureau has linked him to the covert operation that led to Levinson’s disappearance in March 2007 during a trip to Kish Island, Iran.
Levinson, a former FBI special agent who had retired in 1998 and later worked as a private investigator, was last seen on March 9, 2007. In 2010 and 2011, disturbing video footage and photographs emerged, showing him in captivity. However, no further signs of life have been received since.
In March 2025, the U.S. Department of the Treasury officially designated Moghadam and several other Iranian officials for their alleged roles in the Levinson case. The U.S. government has accused them of not only orchestrating Levinson’s abduction and prolonged detention but also taking steps to cover up the Iranian regime’s responsibility.
The FBI has renewed its call for information, offering a reward of up to $5 million, while the U.S. State Department’s Rewards for Justice Program is offering an additional $20 million for credible intelligence that could lead to Levinson’s recovery or the identification of those involved in the case.
Iran has not officially responded to Moghadam’s inclusion on the FBI list. However, Iranian officials have consistently denied holding or detaining Levinson. In 2020, Levinson’s family announced they believed he had died in Iranian custody, based on intelligence provided by U.S. officials.
Reacting to the development, U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Senator Jim Risch lauded the FBI’s efforts. “The FBI is leading the way on holding Iran accountable for the abduction of Bob Levinson — a devoted father and patriotic American,” Risch said in a post on social media platform X. “We will never forget Bob and his family, and we will hold those responsible to account for their crimes.”
The move to name Moghadam comes amid heightened geopolitical tensions following the recent 12-day Iran-Israel war, during which the U.S. reportedly conducted strikes on Iranian nuclear sites.
Separately, diplomatic pressure is mounting on Tehran to return to the negotiating table over its nuclear program. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, along with the foreign ministers of France, Germany, and the United Kingdom, agreed during a recent call to set a de facto deadline of August 31 for Iran to strike a new nuclear agreement.
If talks fail by that date, the three European powers are prepared to invoke the “snapback” mechanism, which would automatically reinstate all United Nations Security Council sanctions lifted under the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.
Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump has stated that while Tehran appears willing to resume discussions, he is “in no rush” unless Iran abandons its uranium enrichment activities — a condition that Iran continues to reject.
This latest designation by the FBI adds another layer of complexity to an already strained relationship between Washington and Tehran and places Pakistan in a diplomatically sensitive position given the presence of Moghadam on its soil.
