The Americans Left Behind in Iran
Nizar Zakka never believed he was getting out.
He had been held in an Iranian prison for nearly four years, and every so often, the prison guards would tell him he was about to be released, only to return him to his cell. In a recent interview after he was finally freed, he said he understood why ISIS captives looked so calm in beheading videos: They went through a similar process of conditioning, one that killed off fear.
Iran released Zakka, a Lebanese citizen and United States permanent resident, on June 11 after intense lobbying from the Lebanese government. The State Department issued a muted statement after the release, and has not publicly acknowledged playing a role, initially saying only that it was “aware of reports” that he had been freed and praising Beirut’s advocacy. But for Zakka, the single most important factor in getting him or anyone else out of prison in Iran is to make noise—a lot of noise—to pressure Tehran in the most public way possible.
“I’m sure a lot has been done behind the scenes, and I am thankful,” the 52-year-old IT executive told us. But, he went on, “when you are a hostage, you need to know that the world is talking about you. The worst thing is that you feel left behind, and nobody is asking about you.”
There are at least five U.S. citizens, mostly dual nationals, currently jailed in Iran, some of whom were detained before Donald Trump took office. Another American, Robert Levinson, disappeared in Iran 12 years ago. (The U.S. law on Americans unjustly detained overseas applies only to citizens, though the U.S. has taken an interest in high-profile permanent residents in the past and may have an obligation to them under some circumstances.)
The Trump administration has attacked Iran’s economy with sanctions, and called for prisoner releases among the 12 demands it has made in
