The family of Kamran (Yehudah) Hekmati, a 61-year-old Jewish Iranian-American from Great Neck, Long Island, who has been imprisoned in Iran for over a year, has issued an urgent plea to President Donald Trump, demanding his release be a non-negotiable condition of any potential peace agreement with Tehran, according to a Wednesday report in the NY Post.

The desperate appeal comes at a time of extreme volatility in the region. Tensions flared dramatically on Monday evening after an Iranian drone downed a U.S. Army Apache helicopter over the Strait of Hormuz, prompting a renewed U.S. bombing campaign against objectives within the Islamic Republic.

For the Hekmati family, the intensifying military hostilities add a terrifying layer of urgency to an already dire situation. In a letter sent Tuesday night to President Trump, the State Department, and the National Security Council, the family highlighted not only the political peril facing Hekmati but also a catastrophic medical crisis.
“Kamran is not only an American citizen; he is a devoted father, husband, brother, and cousin. Today, he is also a cancer patient,” wrote Shohreh Nowfar, Hekmati’s cousin and family spokesperson, in the letter. “He is battling bladder cancer without access to the medical care he urgently needs. Every day matters.”

Hekmati was detained by Iranian authorities in May 2025 while visiting family. The regime blocked him from leaving, claiming he had “illegally” visited Israel 13 years prior to attend his son’s bar mitzvah. He is currently being held in Tehran’s notorious Evin Prison, a facility infamous for its harsh conditions and mistreatment of political dissidents and foreign nationals. In March, the U.S. State Department officially designated Hekmati as “wrongfully detained,” effectively classifying him as a political hostage.

The family’s plea follows comments made by President Trump during a weekend interview on NBC’s Meet the Press, where he asserted his desire to bring all American hostages home but noted the difficulties in maintaining a definitive list. “If you give me their names, I’ll do my best to get them home,” the President said.

An administration official responded to the family’s letter on Wednesday, stating, “President Trump has made it clear that he wants all Americans wrongfully and unjustly detained overseas to be brought home. The administration is closely tracking U.S. citizens currently detained in Iran and working diligently to secure their release.”

While President Trump has repeatedly pressed Tehran to negotiate an end to the current conflict—specifically demanding that Iran abandon its nuclear weapons ambitions—advocates for the hostages insist that human lives must not be sidelined in broader geopolitical talks.

Kieran Ramsey of Global Reach, an advocacy group representing the Hekmati family, emphasized that the safety of American citizens must take precedence, especially as airstrikes continue. “Unfortunately, we’re now seeing military hostilities increase again, but we want to see the sequencing on this flip. We want these Americans home,” Ramsey told the Post. “If there’s any deal to be made, it’s got to include the release of these Americans. Their status needs to be at the top of the pile.”

The terrifying reality inside Evin Prison was recently underscored by a smuggled voice recording from another wrongfully detained American, 49-year-old journalist Reza Valizadeh. In the recording, obtained by CBS News, Valizadeh described facing severe “physical pressure and mental torture,” adding that the detained Americans are “suffering from various diseases and are deprived of real medical services.”

Valizadeh’s message also expressed frustration with past missed opportunities, noting that the U.S. government failed to negotiate a prisoner swap in May when 20 Iranian sailors were released by the U.S. following the seizure of their commercial vessels.

As the Great Neck community and the broader Jewish community daven for Hekmati’s safety amidst the ongoing bombardment of Tehran, his family remains focused on the President’s track record of hostage diplomacy.

“You have already demonstrated strong leadership in bringing more than 100 Americans home since January 2025,” the Hekmati family wrote in their concluding remarks to the President. “We urge you to act now to secure Kamran’s release. His family in Great Neck, New York, is waiting for him. He deserves the chance to come home, receive treatment, and be reunited with those who love him.”

A State Department spokesperson reiterated the government’s official stance, saying, “The Iranian regime has a long and shameful history of unjustly detaining U.S. nationals and other foreign citizens. The Iranian regime should immediately release all Americans detained in Iran.”