US President Donald Trump signed an executive order that could designate countries that have wrongfully detained US citizens as state sponsors of terrorism, including Iran, Afghanistan, Russia, and China.
Senior administration officials in a briefing to reporters on September 5 said Washington would target countries holding wrongfully detained Americans as well as those that engage in "hostage diplomacy."
“Like the State Sponsor of Terrorism determination, no nation should want to end up on this list,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement.
The order would impose punitive measures, including sanctions, on those Washington deems are wrongfully holding Americans.
A second senior administration official told reporters punitive measures would be similar to those under the current Foreign Terrorist Organization designations, including penalties such as sanctions, export controls, and barring from US entry those determined to be associated with wrongful detentions.
"Today, everything changes with regards to rogue regimes and regimes who think Americans can be treated as pawns," the second official told reporters.
"We are drawing a very clear delineation today, a line in the sand. You will not use Americans as bargaining chips," said the official, speaking on condition pf anonymity.
The officials told reporters the Trump administration had secured the return of 72 U.S. citizens, including those from Russia and Afghanistan.
“We’ve gotten a lot of people out and we’ll continue,” President Donald Trump said on September 5.
Under the policy, Washington would give notice to a country after deeming there had been a wrongful detention, the officials said.
The countries would have a certain period of time to act before Washington imposed sanctions.
One of the officials said Washington could choose to lift sanctions if it was determined that corrective measures were taking place.
"In a case like Iran... or Russia, I think you will see a change here," the official said.
US officials have said they believe Russia to be holding nine American citizens. Iran is believed to be holding eight.
Russia is under US and European separate sanctions related to its full-scale, unprovoked invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Iran has been designated a State Sponsor of Terrorism by the United States and is also under a full slate of US sanctions.
Global Reach, a nonprofit organization that works to secure release of US citizens held hostage or wrongfully detained in foreign countries, hailed the action.
“This designation is something that will put real teeth behind the US government’s efforts to bring home detained Americans and deter offending nations from engaging in ‘hostage diplomacy,'" CEO Mickey Bergman said in a statement.
