Iran hostages: The White House has begun to communicate with Iran about US hostages

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“We intend to communicate very directly with the Iranians about the complete and utter outrage – the humanitarian disaster that is the unjust, unlawful detention of US citizens in Iran,” Sullivan told CBS News.

“We have started communicating with the Iranians on this issue, yes, and we will continue to do so as we move forward,” he said. “Getting those Americans home safely will be a major priority of this administration.”

According to the Foley Foundation, there have been at least 43 publicly known cases of hostage taking or detainees in 11 countries, including Iran, Afghanistan, Syria, Venezuela, Russia, Egypt, Turkey, Rwanda and Saudi Arabia.
Earlier this month, Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke to the loved ones of US hostages, a gesture that sent a promising signal, the families said the Biden administration will make the release of their loved ones a priority.
Sullivan also said on Sunday that Tehran has not responded to the proposed meeting of the European Union to discuss Iran’s nuclear program, adding that the ball is with them.

The Biden administration said last week that the US is ready to sit down for talks with Tehran and other signatories to the Iran nuclear deal. “The United States would accept an invitation from the High Representative of the European Union to attend a meeting of the P5 + 1 and Iran to discuss a diplomatic way forward with Iran’s nuclear program,” said spokesman Ned Price of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a statement.

The P5 + 1 refers to the permanent members of the UN Security Council – China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States – and Germany.

CNN’s Jennifer Hansler, Nicole Gaouette and Kylie Atwood contributed to this report.

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