The Media Line: Rubio Says US Will Not Tolerate ‘Hostage Diplomacy’ as Officials Mark Wrongful Detainee Day  

Rubio Says US Will Not Tolerate ‘Hostage Diplomacy’ as Officials Mark Wrongful Detainee Day  

By The Media Line Staff  

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the United States will continue pressing for the release of Americans held abroad while warning governments that use detainees as leverage that Washington will hold them accountable.  

Rubio spoke Monday at the State Department during the annual US Hostage and Wrongful Detainee Flag Raising Ceremony, an event honoring Americans who have been detained overseas and recognizing the families advocating for their return.  

“I wish it was on a happier occasion, although we do have things to celebrate in terms of Americans that have been returned,” Rubio said. “But also we remember those who have not returned.”  

The ceremony was held on March 9, the anniversary of the disappearance of Robert Levinson, a former FBI agent who went missing in Iran in 2007. His sons, Dan and Doug Levinson, attended the event, and the flag raised during the ceremony was dedicated to their family.  

FBI Deputy Director Christopher Raia said Levinson’s case remains deeply personal for the bureau. Levinson served nearly three decades in US law enforcement, including 22 years as an FBI special agent.  

“Our evidence suggests that Bob died in captivity in Iran, and he is the longest held American hostage in US history,” Raia said, noting that the FBI continues to pursue leads related to his disappearance.  

“Today, unfortunately, marks 19 years since his abduction,” Raia said. “The urgency to uncover the facts of Bob’s disappearance has never been greater.”  

Adam Boehler, the US special envoy for hostage affairs, said the administration has intensified efforts to secure the return of Americans detained overseas. According to Boehler, 175 detainees have been freed in recent years, including more than 100 Americans.  

“We’ve brought 175 people home – over 100 Americans, others – allies in Israel, other places,” Boehler said. “But we’re not going to stop. We’re not going to stop until all Americans are home.”  

Boehler credited President Donald Trump with making the issue a central policy priority. He said Washington has also begun designating countries that detain Americans for political leverage.  

“Secretary Rubio… made it a clear priority,” Boehler said. “In fact, he let Iran know that they are a State Sponsor of Wrongful Detention.”  

 Rubio used the ceremony to link the issue of wrongful detention to broader US policy toward Tehran. He said Iran remains the world’s most persistent state sponsor of hostage-taking.  

“The United States is currently engaged in an operation targeting one – the world’s leading hostage-taker, the world’s leading sponsor of terrorism – the regime in Iran,” Rubio said.  

He described the ongoing US military campaign as aimed at dismantling Iran’s ability to threaten regional security through missiles, drones, and naval operations.  

“The goals of this mission are clear,” Rubio said. “It is to destroy the ability of this regime to launch missiles, both by destroying their missiles and their launchers; destroy the factories that make these missiles; and destroy their navy.”  

Rubio also praised the work of US agencies involved in hostage recovery, including the FBI, the State Department, and the National Security Council.  

“Our mission is forward-looking,” Rubio said. “We believe in homecomings, we work for homecomings, and under the President’s leadership, we will not stop until every single unjustly detained American is brought home.”