Iranian American man held in Tehran prison, family member says

An elderly Iranian American man, who is Jewish, is being held in Tehran’s notorious Evin Prison on charges related to his trip to Israel 13 years ago to celebrate his son’s bar mitzvah, a family member told NBC News Friday.

Kamran Hekmati, 70, was sentenced because Iranians are not permitted to visit Israel under Iranian law. Hekmati is one of at least four Americans who is currently detained in Iran, according to a source familiar with their arrests who agreed to speak on condition of anonymity. Hekmati’s detention was first reported by the New York Times.

Iranian American Reza Valizadeh, a journalist, has been held in Iran since 2024.

The State Department would not directly address Hekmati’s case citing privacy considerations and a spokesperson for the department said they are unable to provide the number of U.S. citizens who are detained in Iran.

“The Iranian regime has a long history of unjustly and wrongfully detaining other countries’ citizens,” the spokesperson said. “Iran should release these individuals immediately.”

Iran’s mission to the United Nations declined to comment on his detention.

The family member, who spoke to NBC News anonymously out of concern for repercussions against Hekmati, confirmed that he had traveled from his home in New York to Iran for a personal visit in May and was arrested in July after several interrogations at a relative’s home. Hekmati is battling bladder cancer and is in poor health, according to the family member. His family hopes he will be released on humanitarian grounds.

The State Department has long warned Americans against traveling to Iran, citing the heightened risks of detention.

“Anyone with a U.S. connection, including dual U.S.-Iranian nationals, is at significant risk of questioning, arrest, and detention in Iran,” a State Department spokesperson said. “We continue to engage with allies and partners on this issue and on cases of unjust detention in Iran in general.”