[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 43, Number 22 (Monday, June 4, 2007)]
[Pages 733-734]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Statement on the American Citizens Held in Iran

June 1, 2007

    Several of our fellow American citizens--including Haleh Esfandiari, 
Parnaz Azima, Kian Tajbakhsh, and Ali Shakeri--are being held against 
their will by the Iranian regime. I strongly condemn their detention at 
the hands of Iranian authorities. They should be freed immediately and 
unconditionally.
    These individuals have dedicated themselves to building bridges 
between the American and Iranian people, a goal the Iranian regime 
claims to support. Their presence in Iran--to visit their parents or to 
conduct humanitarian work--poses no threat. Indeed, their activities are 
typical of the abiding ties that Iranian Americans have with their land 
of origin.
    I am also disturbed by the Iranian regime's refusal so far to 
provide any information on

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Robert Levinson, despite repeated U.S. requests. I call on Iran's 
leaders to tell us what they know about his whereabouts.
    The United States is committed to protecting its citizens at home 
and abroad. We will maintain our efforts on behalf of these citizens 
until all of them are reunited with their families.