MISSING AMERICAN CITIZEN IN IRAN

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 STATE 067683 SIPDIS SIPDIS DUBAI FOR IRPO USDOJ FOR FBI EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT DIRECTOR HULON E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/15/2017 TAGS: AR ASECIR KISL KJUS LE PGOV PREL PTER FBI PRT KTFN SUBJECT: MISSING AMERICAN CITIZEN IN IRAN Classified By: NEA: JAMES F. JEFFREY, ACTING ¶1. (U) This is an action message ) please see paragraph 5. ¶2. (S) The United States has reason to believe Iranian security services targeted and detained retired FBI Special Agent Bob Levinson on March 8, 2007, during a trip to Kish Island. Iranian authorities may have believed he was still in USG employ. Tehran has not acknowledged detaining Levinson, but strong circumstantial evidence points to official Iranian involvement. Press and other reporting indicate he arrived on Kish Island, checked into his hotel, and met with U.S. citizen (and federal fugitive) David Belfield. Additional reporting indicates that Iranian Ministry of Intelligence Service agents may have detained Levinson during his meeting with Belfield. ¶3. (S) Recent actions by the Iranian regime ) including the detention of a prominent Iranian-American academic and an Iranian-American RFE broadcaster ) have heightened the Levinson case,s profile. ¶4. (S) The United States has made five formal inquiries ) through the Swiss Channel ) to Tehran seeking information on Levinson,s disappearance. Embassy Bern first inquired about Mr. Levinson on March 12. At that time the Iranian government indicated it had no information. The United States formally asked the Iranian government for assistance in Swiss Channel messages, dated April 2, April 4, and April ¶15. The Iranians responded to these notes on April 18, indicating their government had not detained Mr. Levinson and had no additional information. We sent two more Swiss Channel messages on April 21 and May 14, which provided the Iranian government with additional details and outlined allegations of Iranian governmental involvement in the disappearance. To date, we have received no formal response from the Iranians to these latter messages. ¶5. (SBU) ACTION: Posts should approach host governments to enlist their support in making informal and formal inquiries to the Iranians about Amcit Robert Levinson. ¶6. (U) The information contained in below Non-Paper may be shared with host governments. -------------- BEGIN TEXT OF LEVINSON NON-PAPER -------------- United States Citizen Robert A. Levinson, born March 10, 1948, has gone missing in Iran. Mr. Levinson was an agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation until his retirement 10 years ago. The United States believes Mr. Levinson was visiting Iran for research on a book regarding Russian organized crime. At the time of his disappearance Mr. Levinson was not working for the United States Government. The United States through the Swiss Protecting Power in Iran first inquired about Mr. Levinson on March 12. At that time the Iranian Government indicated it had no information. The United States formally asked the Iranian Government for assistance in three separate Swiss Note Messages, dated April 2, April 4, and April 15. The Iranians responded to these notes on April 18, indicating their government had not detained Mr. Levinson and had no additional information. The United States sent two follow-up Swiss Note Messages to Tehran on April 21 and May 14. To date, the United States has not received any response from Tehran. According to immigration officials at Dubai International Airport, Mr. Levinson departed UAE at 10:45 on March 8, 2007, aboard Kish Air Flight Y97141. That same day Mr. Levinson checked in to the Hotel Maryam on Kish Island. Press reports and other reporting indicate Mr. Levinson met with Dawud Salahuddin (also known as David Belfield and Hassan Abdulrahman) at the Hotel Maryam. During their meeting Iranian security personnel entered the room and detained both Levinson and Salahuddin. Salahuddin was subsequently released, but Mr. Levinson did not return to his room and no one has seen him since. (NOTE: Dawud Salahuddin is an STATE 00067683 002 OF 002 American Citizen who was indicted in the United States for the murder of Ali Akbar Tabatabai - a former Iranian diplomat under the Shah ) in Maryland in 1980. He fled the United States and is now a resident of Iran) Mr. Levinson has serious health concerns and requires medication, making a determination of his welfare and whereabouts particularly urgent. -------------- END TEXT OF NON-PAPER -------------- RICE RICE