Donald Trump
Donald TrumpPhoto: reuters

US President Donald Trump on Sunday night commented on Twitter on the case of missing former FBI agent Robert Levinson, who has been missing in Iran since 2007.

Trump appeared to link Levinson with the steps Iran is taking to reduce its commitments to the 2015 nuclear deal, though the tweet was not entirely clear.

“If Iran is able to turn over to the U.S. kidnapped former FBI Agent Robert A. Levinson, who has been missing in Iran for 12 years, it would be a very positive step. At the same time, upon information & belief, Iran is, & has been, enriching uranium. THAT WOULD BE A VERY BAD STEP!” he wrote.

Levinson vanished in Iran in 2007 while on an unauthorized CIA mission and remains missing. In the past, Iran insisted that Levinson is not in the country and that it has no further information about him.

On the weekend, however, Iran acknowledged for the first time it has an open case before its Revolutionary Court regarding Levinson.

It was not immediately clear how long the case had been open, nor the circumstances by which it started.

Levinson was not included in a 2016 breakthrough prisoner swap between Iran and the US, which saw four American citizens freed in return for the release of seven Iranians jailed in the United States.

Iran’s acknowledgement of an open case on Levinson comes amid a renewed push to find him. Last week, the Trump administration quintupled to $25 million the rewards for information leading to Levinson’s return.

The $20 million allocation from the State Department Rewards for Justice announced Monday is in addition to the $5 million the FBI has for years offered for information leading to the rescue of its former agent.