Breaking Update: Here’s a clear explanation of the latest developments related to Breaking News:US designates Iran as ‘State Sponsor of Wrongful Detention’: What Marco Rubio said– What Just Happened and why it matters right now.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement on Friday that the State Department had designated Iran as a “State Sponsor of Wrongful Detention.”
Rubio said for decades Iran has wrongfully detained Americans and citizens of other nations “to use as political leverage against other states.”
He said the US could consider additional measures, including a potential “geographic travel restriction on the use of US passports to, through, or from Iran.”
“Today I designated Iran as a State Sponsor of Wrongful Detention. For decades the Iranian regime has cruelly detained innocent Americans and citizens of other nations to use as political leverage. Iran must end this abhorrent practice and immediately free all unjustly detained Americans,” Secretary Marco Rubio posted on X.
Meanwhile, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said, “Today, the US has designated Iran as a State Sponsor of Wrongful Detention.”
“The FBI remains committed to working with our federal and international partners to return Americans who are being held captive home and bring their captors to justice,” the agency added.
It said the Hostage Recovery Fusion Cell (HRFC) coordinates efforts dedicated to recovering Americans held hostage abroad and supporting the hostages and their families during and after release.
Trump says of Iran: ‘Sometimes you have to use force’
Rubio’s and the FBI’s statement came as US President Donald Trump expressed disappointment on Friday about US negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program and warned that “sometimes you have to use force.”
Trump has increased diplomatic and military pressure on Iran in the weeks since an Iranian crackdown on protesters, attempting to force the country to forswear nuclear weapons and other activities Washington sees as destabilising.
After the latest round of talks in Geneva on Thursday ended without a deal, Trump’s patience appeared to be wearing thin, though he said he had not made a final decision on the use of force.
“They don’t want to say the key words, ‘We’re not going to have a nuclear weapon,'” Trump said on Friday before an event in Corpus Christi, Texas. “So I’m not happy with the negotiation.”
“I’m not happy with the fact that they’re not willing to give us what we have to have. I’m not thrilled with that. We’ll see what happens. We’re talking later,” Trump told reporters as he left the White House on Friday.
“We’re not exactly happy with the way they’re negotiating. They cannot have nuclear weapons,” Trump said.
Earlier in the day, he was asked at the White House about the risks of the US getting involved in a drawn-out conflict if it strikes Iran.
“I guess you could say there’s always a risk,” Trump replied. “You know, when there’s war, there’s a risk of anything, both good and bad.”
Iran denies it is seeking to develop nuclear weapons and wants any accord to include the lifting of US sanctions against it.