July 22, 2021

Toomey Meets with Masih Alinejad, Iranian-American Dissident Journalist and Target of Tehran’s Kidnapping Plot

Calls on Biden Administration to Hold Tehran Accountable

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senate Banking Committee Ranking Member Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) today met with Iranian-American journalist and human rights activist Masih Alinejad. Last week, the Department of Justice announced an indictment charging four Iranian intelligence officials for plotting to kidnap Ms. Alinejad, an American citizen, from her home in New York City.


“I commend Masih Alinejad for her extraordinary courage in the face of Tehran’s determination to silence her,” said Senator Toomey. “The Iranian regime fears her because she gives a voice to Iran’s voiceless. The outrageous plot to kidnap Masih—an American citizen—on U.S. soil illustrates the tangible threat Tehran poses to its own citizens and others around the world. It’s appalling that the Biden administration has had almost nothing to say in response to the plot against Masih. I’m calling on the administration to vocally condemn Tehran’s attempted abduction and likely execution of Masih, and to hold the regime accountable for its brazen terror plot against an American citizen on U.S. soil.”


“This plot by the Islamic Republic to kidnap me from my home in Brooklyn is not just about me, it is an attack on us all, it is an assault on U.S. sovereignty,” said Masih. “If we do not deter Tehran, if we do not impose consequences, then we are likely to face further such peril because flagrant disregard for international law is in the nature of the Islamic Republic.” 


For months, Senator Toomey has been urging the Biden administration to halt efforts to offer billions in sanctions relief to Iran. In June, Senator Toomey wrote to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen expressing grave concern over the administration’s efforts to rejoin the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

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