"The Iranian government must stop taking hostages and release all Americans unjustly detained in that country. These are steps that can help end this decision and related actions," US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated on 27/2, after designating Iran as a "state sponsor of wrongful detention."
Rubio announced that Washington could prohibit its citizens from using US passports to travel to Iran if Tehran does not take steps to rectify the situation.
The US currently restricts its citizens from traveling to only one other country: North Korea. Many Iranian-Americans regularly visit Iran, despite the two nations not maintaining diplomatic relations since 1980.
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Ngoai truong My Marco Rubio speaks to the press at Basseterre airport, St. Kitts and Nevis, on 25/2. Photo: AP
President Donald Trump signed an executive order in 9/2025, establishing a blacklist for nations that wrongfully detain individuals, similar to the list of state sponsors of terrorism. Iran became the first country added to this new blacklist. In recent years, Tehran has detained several Americans, often dual nationals whom the Iranian government considers its citizens.
"Americans should not travel to Iran for any reason. We reiterate our call for US citizens currently in Iran to depart immediately," Rubio advised.
This move comes amid increased US military presence in the Middle East and considerations of military action if Iran fails to reach an agreement on its nuclear program.
President Trump expressed disappointment with Iran's stance in new rounds of negotiations in Switzerland on the same day, stating that Tehran was "unwilling to provide what we need."
"We are not satisfied with how they are negotiating. They cannot possess nuclear weapons," he said, adding that the US wants Iran "not to enrich uranium" that could be used to build nuclear bombs.
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Positions of US warships and bases in the Middle East. Graphic: Washington Post
Oman, a country mediating negotiations between the US and Iran, reported that Tehran has agreed not to stockpile any type of uranium and will convert its current uranium stockpiles into fuel.
"If the ultimate goal is to ensure that Iran can never acquire a nuclear bomb, I think we have resolved that issue through negotiations and achieved an unprecedented breakthrough," said Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi.
Albusaidi added that "an agreement could be within reach," estimating it would take three months to finalize a deal between the US and Iran.
The US Department of State announced that Secretary of State Rubio is expected to visit Israel to discuss the Iran issue on 2/3. The US Embassy had previously authorized non-essential personnel and their families to leave Israel due to "security risks."
Thanh Tam (According to AFP, Reuters)
