The US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has placed Iran’s ambassador to Pakistan Reza Amiri Moghadam on its list of most wanted individuals over his alleged involvement in the 2007 abduction of former FBI agent Robert Levinson.

However, Arab News in a report said that the Pakistan government has made it clear that the Iranian ambassador has diplomatic immunity.

The US agency accuses the senior Iranian diplomat — who also goes by the name Ahmad Amiri Nejad — of playing a role in orchestrating the kidnapping during his period as head of operations at Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security.

According to Arab News, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch stated: “Ambassador Reza Amiri Moghadam is a respected figure who has contributed positively to Pakistan-Iran relations. As a representative of a neighbouring and friendly country, he enjoys full diplomatic privileges and protections.”

The FBI’s statement, released under the title “Seeking Information,” also named two other high-ranking Iranian intelligence officials: Taqi Daneshvar and Gholamhossein Mohammadnia.

The latter previously worked as Iran’s ambassador to Albania but was expelled in 2018.

Steven Jensen, Assistant Director of the FBI, said the Iranian officials were involved not only in Levinson’s kidnapping but also in efforts to conceal his fate.

The FBI believes Levinson likely died in captivity.

The bureau also alleges that the Iranian officials attempted to shift blame for the abduction onto a militant group operating in Pakistan’s Balochistan province.

To encourage public assistance, the FBI has offered a reward of $5 million, while the US State Department’s “Rewards for Justice” programme is offering up to $20 million for information leading to the resolution of the case.