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Don’t forget our hostages: Trump must prioritize their release in Iran talks

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by Diane Foley and Neda Sharghi, opinion contributors - 05/08/26 2:00 PM ET

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by Diane Foley and Neda Sharghi, opinion contributors - 05/08/26 2:00 PM ET

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A police officer walks past posters of U.S. and Iran talks near a possible venue in Islamabad, Pakistan, Saturday, April 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)

At least six Americans are detained in Iran. With negotiations between the U.S. and Iran in constant flux, those of us who have had loved ones wrongfully detained in Iran or have dedicated our lives to combatting hostage-taking, find ourselves asking the same question: “What about our hostages?” As the U.S. negotiates with Iran, administration officials must make clear that the release of American hostages and an end to future hostage-taking are an essential part of any deal.

These hostages — and their names — are rarely mentioned in public discussions about Iran and to date, no senior official has made their release a publicly stated condition of the negotiations.

American citizens Reza Valizadeh and Kamran Hekmati were wrongfully detained by the Iranian regime in September 2024 and May 2025, respectively. Like the others unjustly held, they were arrested on fabricated charges. Both men are imprisoned at the notorious Evin Prison. Valizadeh, a widely published journalist, suffers from debilitating asthma and is being denied his medications.

Hekmati is a grandfather, entrepreneur, and man of Jewish faith who recently survived bladder cancer and requires regular medical monitoring to ensure it has not returned. Evin Prison — infamous for systematic abuse of political prisoners — cannot provide anything resembling adequate care.

We know the Trump administrations cares about hostages. On Feb. 27, Secretary of State Marco Rubio designated Iran as a State Sponsor of Wrongful Detention. The designation sends an unambiguous message to the world: hostage-taking is illegal, it is reprehensible, and it will have consequences. But a designation alone is not enough. It must be supported by a clear position that there is no deal until every American hostage is free.

The Trump administration must make an end to Iranian hostage taking an explicit and public prerequisite to any negotiated agreement. Any agreement must include the return of all Americans unjustly held hostage, accountability for hostage-takers, justice for the hostages, and credible, enforceable commitments that Iran will never again use the detention of U.S. nationals as a bargaining chip. The U.S. must make any deal contingent on the freedom of our fellow citizens.

On March 9, Hostage and Wrongful Detainee Day, President Trump reiterated America’s commitment to ensuring Americans taken hostage abroad are brought home: “To every American unjustly held abroad — we will not waver in our commitment to bringing you home safely and securely.” Since taking office, the administration backed up those words with results, achieving a 22-year high in the return of wrongfully detained Americans around the world. Freeing the Americans currently held hostage in Iran and deterring them from future hostage diplomacy would signal genuine progress against international hostage taking of Americans traveling abroad.

Any family member of a hostage will tell you they spend every day scouring the news for even just one mention of their loved one. May Trump have the moral courage to prioritize freedom for the six fellow Americans held captive by Iran and start by saying their names. The diplomatic window cannot be allowed to close without the unconditional release of our hostages.

Diane Foley is founder and president of the Foley Foundation. Foley’s son James was kidnapped in Syria in 2012 and beheaded by ISIS in 2014. Neda Sharghi is a board member of the Foley Foundation. Sharghi’s brother, Emad Shargi, is an American citizen who was wrongfully detained in Iran from 2018 to 2023.

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