Held as Leverage: Iran, Hostage Diplomacy, and the Fight for Release with Kieran Ramsey

As tensions with Iran persist, the issue of wrongful detention remains a critical but often overlooked national security concern. This week, Elisa sits down with Kieran Ramsey, former Director of the FBI’s Hostage Recovery Fusion Cell and current Chief Investigative Officer at Global Reach, to examine how countries like Iran use arbitrary detention—and how these cases are tracked and challenged on the global stage. The episode also includes audio from our recent luncheon with journalist Jason Rezaian, who recounts his 544 days of detention in Tehran’s Evin Prison and reflects on how his experience intersects with law, diplomacy, and the human cost of these high-stakes cases. Kieran Ramsey is Chief Investigative Officer at Global Reach, a private company that deals with individuals wrongfully held or taken hostage around the world. References: The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention E.O. 14248, Strengthening Efforts to Protect U.S. Nationals from Wrongful Detention Abroad Rezaian, Jason. Prisoner: My 544 Days in an Iranian Prison . HarperCollins, 2019

You can listen to Held as Leverage: Iran, Hostage Diplomacy, and the Fight for Release with Kieran Ramsey online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

Held as Leverage: Iran, Hostage Diplomacy, and the Fight for Release with Kieran Ramsey is an episode from National Security Law Today by National Security Law Today.

This episode is 78:31 long.

This episode was published on Mar 18, 2026.

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