fbpx

Iran Has Reportedly Been Holding a U.S. Veteran Hostage Since July

[additional-authors]
January 9, 2019
FILE PHOTO: Iranian President Hassan Rouhani listens during a news conference at the United Nations General Assembly in New York, September 26, 2018. REUTERS/Brendan Mcdermid/File Photo

Iran has been holding a United States veteran hostage since July, according to media reports.

The imprisoned American, 46-year-old Navy veteran Michael White, had been visiting his girlfriend in Iran in July and never returned home. White’s mother, Joanne, told The New York Times that the State Department had told her three weeks prior that her son was being held hostage.

“I’m very worried about his health,” Joanne told CBS News. “He just got over cancer and I’m worried about his condition. It’s very scary to me.”

White had been undergoing chemotherapy and radiation treatment for a neck tumor. He also has asthma.

Ivar Farhadi, a cyberactivist who had been serving in prison at the same time as White, told CBS that “White was suffering psychologically and was being held in a ward with dangerous criminals.”

A State Department official told The New York Times in an email, “We are aware of reports of the detention of a U.S. citizen in Iran. We have no higher priority than the safety and security of U.S. citizens abroad. Due to privacy considerations, we have no additional information to provide at this time.”

White is one of four American hostages currently being held in Iran. According to CBS, sources have told them “that Iran is holding the Americans to try to extract concessions such as those received in a deal reached with President Obama,” an apparent reference to the $1.7 billion the Obama administration sent to Iran in exchange for the release of five American hostages.

Did you enjoy this article?
You'll love our roundtable.

Editor's Picks

Latest Articles

A Deafening Silence

A Jewish woman burned to death on American soil. The violence wasn’t random. It was ideological, premeditated, and still, almost no one says her name.

Refreshing Summer Salads

Bright, earthy and deeply refreshing, this salad brings together the forest-like aroma of fresh herbs with a sweet and nutty crunch.

Print Issue: Reclaiming American Values | July 4, 2025

“American values” was once shorthand for the animating ideals of liberal democracy. Now it’s become politicized. As we celebrate July 4th, Jews must lead the way in reclaiming an idea that is meant to unite us, not divide us.

Why Jews Must Reclaim American Values

“American values” was once shorthand for the animating ideals of liberal democracy. Now it’s become politicized. As we celebrate July 4, Jews must lead the way in reclaiming an idea that is meant to unite us, not divide us.

Dawn of a New Era in the Middle East

The ceasefire that President Trump brokered is the second crucial step in that process, not the end of the story but the start of a new chapter.

The Fall of Pride. And the March Into Mayhem

To those raising fists in solidarity with the “Free Palestine” movement in the Western world and chanting “resistance by any means necessary,” we ask: Does your “resistance support” include the execution of queer people?

Why Jews Must Stand Up for America

If America is “irredeemably racist,” then so are the Jews. If America is in trouble, then so are the Jews. If more and more people are becoming anti-American, you can be sure they’re also becoming anti-Jewish.

The Fourth of July and ‘Four Score’

This July Fourth, members of the Jewish faith can take particular pride in one of their rabbis likely inspiring America’s most beloved president’s famous phrase.

More news and opinions than at a
Shabbat dinner, right in your inbox.

More news and opinions than at a Shabbat dinner, right in your inbox.

More news and opinions than at a Shabbat dinner, right in your inbox.