State Department to US citizens: ‘Do not travel to Iran!’
State Department’s Hostage Affairs office cautions Americans over heightened detention risk, highlights plight of former hostage Emad Shargi in new awareness campaign.
The US State Department’s Office of the Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs issued a short yet stern message on Thursday, warning American citizens not to travel to Iran.
The English and Farsi message, written in all capitals, states: “AMERICANS, INCLUDING IRANIAN-AMERICANS AND OTHER DUAL-NATIONALS HAVE BEEN WRONGFULLY DETAINED—TAKEN HOSTAGE—BY THE IRANIAN GOVERNMENT FOR MONTHS, AND YEARS. THE THREAT OF DETENTION IS EVEN GREATER TODAY, DO NOT TRAVEL TO IRAN UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES.”
The Office of the Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs also posted a video on social media of Emad Shargi, an Iranian-American businessman, who was imprisoned in Iran from 2018-2023. In the video, Shargi echoes the office’s message and recounts his ordeal.
