Nigeria, Feb. 28 -- The US government has designated Iran as a state sponsor of wrongful detention, a new diplomatic tool used for countries that "wrongfully" detain US nationals.

The tool was created through an executive order and legislation passed in September 2025. It is also the latest in the US effort to ramp up pressure on Iran, as tension between the two countries heightened and concern over the possibility of war continues to increase.

In a statement on Friday, the US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, accused Iran of unjustly detaining American nationals for political leverage.

Mr Rubio, announcing the designation, said Iran's Islamic clerics consolidated power by endorsing the hostage taking of US embassy staff.

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