Kamran Hekmati

Kamran Hekmati is a 61-year-old US citizen of the Jewish faith from New York, where he ran his jewelry business. In May 2025, he traveled to Iran to attend to a family matter. He had traveled to Iran multiple times before without incident, however, this time Iranian authorities confiscated his passport and electronic devices. Kamran spent the next two months repeatedly requesting the return of his passport. He was placed on an exit ban, and unable to leave Iran.

On July 28, 2025, after the 12-day war, Kamran was arrested. During a ten-minute trial without any witness or a lawyer, Kamran was falsely charged under an Iranian law that criminalizes travel to Israel within the 10 years prior to entry in Iran. Kamran last trip to Israel was 13 years before – outside the window of wrongdoing by Iran’s own laws. He was convicted in the sham trial, though, and wrongfully imprisoned in Evin Prison, an infamous facility known for holding political prisoners and for its horrific conditions and treatment of prisoners.

Kamran is being wrongfully detained. He is recovering from bladder cancer and requires regular medical care and screenings to detect any resurgence. He is not receiving that care at Evin Prison. Given the heightened tensions with Israel, Kamran’s Jewish faith also makes him vulnerable so long as he is wrongfully detained in Iran. The U.S. government needs to prioritize his immediate release and bring him home.

For more information or to help Kamran Hekmati, please visit: Bring Kamran Home