Bob Levinson, a US citizen kidnapped by Iran, seen before his capture and in a later photo from 2011. Image: YouTube screenshot.

A top US Jewish group condemned the Tehran regime on Thursday for the death of ex-FBI agent Robert Levinson.

“We are saddened and outraged to hear of the passing of former FBI agent Robert Levinson, who is believed to have died in Iran prior to the COVID-19​ outbreak,” Arthur Stark, chairman, William Daroff, CEO, and Malcolm Hoenlein, vice chairman, of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations (CoP), stated. “His death may be attributed to the brutality of the Iranian regime, which held him hostage for 13 years while denying knowledge of his whereabouts.”

“We extend our sincere condolences to the Levinson family, and condemn Iran in the strongest possible terms for this atrocity,” they added. “We call on the Iranian regime to provide information about what led to Levinson’s death, and to release all American prisoners being held in captivity.”

Levinson’s family said on Wednesday it now believed Levinson died in Iranian custody, based on information from US officials.

Levinson, then 58, disappeared after flying from Dubai to Kish Island in the Persian Gulf in March 2007 as part of his work as a private investigator.

He was reportedly seeking information on alleged corruption involving former Iranian President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani and his family.

Iran has never publicly acknowledged any role in Levinson’s abduction, though at the time of his disappearance a government-affiliated media outlet broadcast a story saying he was “in the hands of Iranian security forces.”

On Tuesday, an Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson claimed Levinson had left Iran “years ago” for an unspecified destination.