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

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.