WASHINGTON (TNND) — Iran’s government is holding an estimated 15,000 political prisoners and has executed at least 39 people since February 2026, according to human rights groups.
Among those being held is Reza Valizadeh, an Iranian American journalist who was sentenced to 10 years on charges of cooperating with the U.S. government.
Goldie Ghamari, an Iranian-born former human rights advocate, told The National News Desk that Iran’s government has long used detentions as leverage in international disputes and warned that Americans who travel there face serious risk.
“Yes, absolutely. I mean, hostage taking is part of the Islamic regime’s foreign diplomacy tactics,” Ghamari said, pointing to the 1979 hostage crisis, when 444 Americans were taken hostage. She said Iran’s government has used detainees “to influence foreign policy” and said it has done the same with France and other countries.
Ghamari said she does not trust messages coming from Iran’s government as negotiations remain uncertain.
“Absolutely not,” Ghamari said. “I don’t even call them the Iranian regime because they’re actually anti-Iranian. There’s nothing Iranian about them.”
She added: “No, absolutely. You cannot trust them whatsoever if their lips are moving. They’re lying.”
The interview also touched on regional tensions after Hezbollah rejected the latest ceasefire agreement between Israel and Lebanon, as U.S.-Iran talks continue.
“Hezbollah is fully funded by the Islamic regime occupying Iran,” Ghamari said, calling Hezbollah a proxy and arguing that Iran’s government wants the group to remain in place. She said that after President Trump announced a ceasefire, “within minutes, Hezbollah breached that ceasefire, violated the ceasefire and began attacking Israel once again.”
“The Islamic regime is using Hezbollah as a bargaining tool,” she said. “But ultimately they’re all terrorists and you cannot trust them at all whatsoever.”
Asked about the future of Iran and whether Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi remains a leader many Iranians look to, Ghamari said support for him has grown.
“Oh, yes. Absolutely,” she said. “Ultimately, there’s only one person that we trust to transition Iran from a brutal Islamic dictatorship back to a functioning, secular, democratic society. And that is His Royal Highness. Reza Pahlavi.”
Ghamari also said, “There’s no other person that we trust. There’s no other opposition leader,” and added, “It’s time for the world to recognize that we only trust and support Reza Pahlavi.”