[8] On March 25, 2020, Levinson's family announced his presumed death on the advisement of the U.S. government, and although the date is unknown, it is assumed that he died while in Iranian custody.

[9] On December 14, 2020, two employees of the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence, Mohammad Baseri and Ahmad Khazai, were sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department in connection with the kidnapping.

[11] He was last seen alive in photographs from April 2011, wearing an orange jumpsuit and holding signs in broken English, apparently written by his captors, asking for help.

[12] On December 12, 2013, the Associated Press (AP) reported that their investigations revealed that Levinson indeed had been working for the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), contradicting the U.S. government's statement that he was not an employee of the government at the time of his capture; U.S. officials had publicly insisted that Levinson went to Iran as a private investigator, working a cigarette-smuggling case.

[15] Levinson's travel was planned by three CIA officials who did not follow the proper vetting process or seek the necessary approval for the mission from their supervisors.

Kish Island in the Persian Gulf is a tourist destination, a stronghold of international organized crime,[16] and a free-trade zone, meaning Americans do not need a visa to enter.

Levinson's source on Kish was Dawud Salahuddin, an American fugitive accused of the killing of the prominent former Iranian diplomat Ali Akbar Tabatabaei in 1980.

Levinson had retired from the FBI in 1998 and had become self-employed as a private investigator; his specialty was Russian organized crime gangs, and he was even interviewed numerous times for television documentaries to discuss the topic.

"[19] On January 8, 2013, the Associated Press reported that "the consensus now among some U.S. officials involved in the case is that despite years of denials, Iran's intelligence service was almost certainly behind the 54-second video and five photographs of Levinson that were emailed anonymously to his family.

[27] On January 8, 2013, Levinson's family released photos to the media showing the former agent in an orange jumpsuit with overgrown and unkempt hair.

Senator Bill Nelson revealed during Hillary Clinton's confirmation hearing that he believed Robert Levinson was being held in a secret prison in Iran.

"[30] According to The New York Times, Levinson had been meeting with Dawud Salahuddin, (an American convert to Islam wanted for the 1980 murder of an Iranian dissident in the US) "just before he went missing".

Press Secretary Jay Carney said: Finding him remains a high priority for the United States, and we will continue to do all that we can to bring him home safely to his friends and family, so they may begin to heal after so many years of extraordinary grief and uncertainty.

[19] On May 11, 2015, the United States Senate voted on concurrent resolution 16 for the release of Robert Levinson, which passed in a unanimous decision without amendment.

[10][37] On March 6, 2012, approaching the fifth anniversary of Robert Levinson's captivity, the Federal Bureau of Investigation offered a $1-million reward for information leading to his safe recovery and return.

In addition, a campaign was launched, using billboards, radio messages, flyers, and a telephone hotline to publicize this reward and obtain information of his whereabouts.

[42] Pressed by Charlie Rose in an interview for CBS This Morning in September 2012, then-Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad "did not deny Iran still has Levinson in its custody, and hinted that there had been talks about a prisoner exchange".

[44]In an interview with CNN's Christiane Amanpour during her trip to the United Nations General Assembly in September 2013, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani spoke of cooperation regarding Levinson's case.