hekmati, abedini and robert levinson who disappeared.n officials deny any knowledge of his whereabouts but his family believes he's being held there as well. families want to know why the obama administration did not use the nuke deal to get them home. we have seen the negotiations the administration has done on behalf of u.s. citizens. but you have a hurricanes r hekmati who wore the uniform. >> it's disgraceful, it's almost as disgraceful as the taliban five deal for bowe bergdahl. this would have been easy to include in the deal. but it send a bigger message from this administration. we have seen them give press conferences how they are letting families negotiate fair their children or members' release. if you are a hostage and you go to these countries you are on your own. that's a terrible message to be sending. he doesn't seem like he cares at all. >> we were all at the white house correspondents dinner earlier this year and a lot of journalists were wearing free jason. why isn't every single reporter who is wearing one of those bu

iran needs to help will us find robert levinson.these americans need to be back home with their families. >> joining me now, greta van susteren. great to have you back on the real story. some people hearing this would think it was that phrase the cart before the horse like maybe we should have talked about these hostages before we had the nuke deals. how do you feel? >> first of all, i believe that they have been working on this at the state department at the white house from the very beginning. and it's a real heartbreak because i followed this story levinson about seven or eight years. i've been to their home, met their family. i know his brother. and of course the pastor i know his wife and seen pictures of his children. so i know how -- this is a very important issue. but i also believe as tough as it has been for these four is that the white house has been trying to get them home. but you're not dealing with someone who is very helpful. iran is horrible. they kept all our hostages from the take over november 1979 until the day

i am very focused on release amir hekmati, saeed abedini and jason rezaian and robert levinson. >> davidany indication that your dad is still alive? >> well several years ago we received that video of him. that was basically a hostage video. a few months later we received photos of him in the orange jumpsuit. up until that point people had told us that he passed on and we needed to move on but my father has proved that he's resilient and he's a determined person. there is no doubt in my mind that he is there, that he's waiting for us and that the united states and iran can work together to bring him home. where there is a will there is a way and the two countries can work together to make that happen. >> david levinson thank you very much. we hope that you're reunited with your dad very soon. congressman, thank you for keeping this issue alive. i know the hekmati and all of the other families are grateful to you. >> thank you. >>> up next on the loose right now, mexican officials are trying to desperately to find him. for the latest we'll go to the scene to get more on the escape of the

robert levinson is a retired fbi agent. >> we desperately want my father home. it's been eight years and even one more day is too long without him. what we believe is that this deal is not the end of discussions between the iranian government and the united states government but merely the beginning and hopefully that this leads to my father's case being a priority and being at the center of discussions from here on out. >> with me now, senior media correspondent and host of cnn's "reliable sources," brian stelter. good to see you. >> you, too. >> you've been keeping in touch with the family of jason re sdplchlt aian ever since he was arrested last year. what is the family saying today? there's been disappointment that this wasn't included in the deal. >> you're right. there's a real mix of emotion that you can sense from the family members on this historic day. jason's brother ali lives out here in california. they are expressing hopeful signs today. ali saying that his brother should have been covering today's announcement as a journalist instead of behind bar

the family said in a statement: retired fbi agent robert levinson scene here in a video posted on youtubent missing in iran in 2007 >> there's not a day that goes by when we don't thing of him, how much he must be suffering, and what we can do to bring him home. >> activists say human rights may get worse before it gets better. as hardliners try to undermine president hassan rouhani. but they hope in the long run, bringing iran out of international isolation will force the world to pressure it to improve its human rights record. >> the international community can pay attention and focus on human rights situation, and use the leverage that it has in terms of political and economic leverage to push tehran and to stand by human rights obliges. >> president barack obama says sanctions in relation to human right violations will remain in place. today it's hoping for human rights between the two countries to be better. >> ali velshi reports. >> there's a history of hostility between iran and the united states that spans decades. for americans that history dated to 1979. there was more chanting

iran needs to help us find robert levinson.se americans need to be back home with their families. [applause] president obama: one more aspect of american leadership i want to discuss because even more than sending americans to war, real strength is measured by how we take care of our veterans when you come home. v.f.w., we have made real progress. we have won historic increases in veterans' funding. we made v.a. benefits available to more than two million veterans including more vietnam vets exposed to agent orange. that was a commitment i made when running for office. we're keeping that commitment. we are devoting unprecedented resources for mental health care. we have helped more than 1.4 million veterans and their families pursue their education under the post-9/11 g.i. bill. we reduced the number of homeless veterans by about a third. we're helping more veterans and military spouses find good civilian jobs. and the veterans' unemployment rate continues to go down. no lower than the national average and that's all good news.

in this town, jason rizian, a "washington post" correspondent in tehran and a fourth american robert levinson who disappeared under mysterious circumstances and i don't think he's formally in the judicial system there. and also when the diplomat he can breakthrough with cuba was unveiled there was essentially a swap of prisoners. and so i think that set a hopeful precedent. major garrett of cbs asked the president a very provocative question and implying at least from the president's point of view that the president was celebrating a deal that left these -- gwen: he actually used the word celebrating. it wasn't just implied from the president's point of view. >> and i was sitting pretty much right behind major garrett and the look was fierce as sbome -- obama stared him down. to wrap up my answer the administration's position was we can't -- it's like negotiating with isis. we can't make con segs on the nuclear question because iran is holding people unfairly in some cases or all cases maybe de facto hostages. that's rewarding hostage taking. >> the central argument the president has tried to

the family said in a statement: retired fbi agent robert levinson went missing in iran in 2007 >> there's a day that goes by when we don't thing of him, how much he must be suffering, and what we can do to bring him home. >> activists say human rights may bet worse before it gets better. but they hope in the long run, bringing iran out of international isolation will force the world to pressure it to improve its human rights record. >> the international community can pay attention and focus on human rights situation, and use the leverage that it has in terms of political and economic leverage to push tehran and stand by human rights obliges. >> president barack obama says sanctions in relation to human right matters will remain in place. today it's hoping for human rights between the two countries. >> ali velshi reports. >> there's a history of the hostility between iran and the united states that spans decades. for americans that history dated to 1979. there was more chanting and shouting today. that's when radical students fired up by the revolution. stormed the u.s. embassy in tehran a

iran needs to help us find robert levinson, these americans need to be back home with your families.are you kidding me? it was mr. obama who explained that their release should not be part of any nuclear deal, despite claims by secretary kerry he brought up the hostages and every single meeting held with the iranians. joining us tonight, fox news strategic analyst lieutenant colonel ralph peters, john hannah senior counselor at the foundation for the defense of democracies. john surge is vice president dick cheney's adviser in the bush administration. ralph, what do you make of a president who decides he will take a deal to the united nations before before taking it to the congress of the united states. >> he was very smart to do so. this was carefully calculated. once the united nations lifted the embargo on iran, it was game over. it doesn't matter what our co i mean, if they vote to maintain sanctions, it means u.s. businesses can't do business with iran. europeans get all the business. lou, on sunday, the german minister of commerce flew to tehran. he had a full schedule of meeti

iran needs to help us find robert levinson. these americans need to be back home with their families. >> reporter: the president squeezed in a trip to manhattan in a visit to "the daley show" with john stewart. >> the pentagon also announced today a successful strike against an important terrorist leader. but apparently left out a key detail. >> reporter: yes. the defense department announced that back on july 8th the u.s. targeted and killed the leader of a terrorist cell known as the corozon group. alfadli was killed traveling in northwest syria. u.s. officials said the veteran al qaeda operative enjoyed full knowledge of the 9/11 attacks and was actively plotting against the united states. the pentagon press failed to note where he was actually based, namely he was the senior al qaeda leader inside iran. bret? >> james, thank you. >>> the secret service has just seconds ago refused to comment on a stunning and potentially dangerous breach of protocol from the national airline of kenya where the president will be visiting lat

and then a fourth american, robert levinson, he was on a cia mission when he was disappeared in iran. and there's some indication that he is being held in prison, but the iranian government says that they do not know his whereabouts. those americans are all front and center says the state department to try to get them released. >> lisa stark in washington. protesters have packed time square in new york city this evening to announce the iran deal. and they are urging congress to vote against the agreement. >> reporter: here in time square, it's very loud and raucous, and the organizers say that there are as many as 10,000 people here, packed up from 42nd street to 40th two blocks, 10,000 people along both sides. as you can hear, there are speakers chaptering to kill this deal, that it's bad for america, the deal is bad especially for israel, because a number of conservative and jewish personalities across the country. protest is organized by the jewish response coalition, and some of the others, cia director, james woolsey, he said that the only two worse in the u.s. are use of force o

dibiasioy our marine amir heck mattie, our "the washington post" reporter jason are rezaan and find robert levinson is he there some place. giving these americans back to us and now would be a smart, strategic gesture. showing what most suspect iran doesn't have good faith. that's just gesture. might tip those who are still on the fence. might tip them over to iran's side of the deal. iran, are you watching fox news? you should be. maybe for once you will do the right thing send our americans home now. and that's my off-the-record comment tonight. thank you for being with us. we will see you again tomorrow night right here at 7:00 p.m. eastern. if you can't watch live, use your dva and follow me on twitter at the handle @greta. up next bill talks to kate steinle's father and brother. don't miss it good night. >>> tonight on "red eye." john kasich joins the primary. the good news you are part of the sweet 16 and the bad is there are 16 of you. rand paul says the chain saw is probably right. and is that the name of a cop show? our panel provides tea and crumpets but first a news break. >> live from a

iran needs to help us find robert levinson. these americans need to be back home with their families. >> tomorrow marks the first anniversary of the trial. in a statement today he said that it would not be open to an agreement that would require north korea unilaterally to dismantle their nuclear program. it said that it's under the constant threat of the u.s. military. >>> diplomatic ties between the u.s. and cuba yesterday are seen by many as marking decades of tension. cuban flag is flying again in washington yet there are many issues to be resolved. including the contentious issue of guantanamo bay. >> guantanamo, a place that has been a symbol of human rights abuses. for 13 years the u.s. naval base in cuba has held up to 700 detainees. prisoners of the so-called global war on terror, but guantanamo is the only u.s. permanent overseas base in america. sailors and marines here respond to natural disasters and go after drug dealers and human traffickers. havana wants the land back. the obama administration opposes the idea.

retired fbi agent robert levinson, went missing in iran in 2007. >> there's not a day that doesn't go by that we don't him, how much he must be suffering and what we can do to bring him home. >> activists say in the short run that human rights may get worse before better, as the hardliners try to undermine. but they hope in the long run they will force the world to pressure the human rights record. >> the iranian community can focus more on the human rights and use the leverage that they have in terms political leverage and economic leverage to push tehran to stand by its human rights obligations. >> the u.s. has placed sanctions on iran over its human rights record. and they have barred iranians from entering the u.s., and their assets are frozen. u.s. plans toe keep those restrictions in place. >>> the wife of pastor sahid abadini, who was just mentioned in roxanne's piece and she joins us from idaho. and i wonder if we can get your reaction to the deal that was announced today. and of course it doesn't include anything about your husband. >> well, thank you for having me. i'm a bit

iran needs us to find robert levinson. these americans need to be back home with their families. >> some is critics said it should have been part of the nuclear agreement. the president said all along they're trying to keep everything nuclear separate. and secretary of state john kerry said he brought it up at every meeting. president obama also spoke about the shooting that killed four u.s. marines and then an american sailor in chat had nothing chattanooga. meantime, a lawyer says that the uncle of the suspect of the shooting has been in custody in jordan since the day after that attack. i should say, so the uncle over in jordan has been in custody ever since the attack happened. the jordanian officials says they've been questioning the gunman about his relatives since that visit. what are you learning about the shooter's uncle, john? >> reporter: good afternoon to you. we're learning that the uncle is a u.s. citizen obviously living in jordan has been in custody since last friday. the fbi reached out almost immediately.

official robert levinson. when the secretary of state is asked about why these people weren't part of the negotiations he says, well, this was negotiation about nuclear weapons but not about people unlawfully and wrongly detained. well it quickly became a negotiation about not just nuclear weapons but all kinds of other weapons that we have prevented the iranians from having access to in a worldwide marketplace that that quickly was added to the topic but we couldn't get three americans released and find out more about one american than we know now. the concessions laid out by yesterday's announcement were also, i thought pretty stunning. on the idea of uranium enrichment the obama administration said a year and a half ago that iran didn't have the right to enrich. in november of 2013, the secretary of state told abc news -- quote -- "we do not recognize the right to enrich." it's clear in the nonproliferation treaty, it's very very clear that there was no right to enrich." end quote. under the agreement iran

he said iran needs to help find robert levinson who's been missing for years. >>> this morning, rememberinghe lost his battle with lung cancer during his 50-year career, 10 novels two short story collections. many took to twitter to honor him saying he was one of the great novelists. his books taught me much and he will be missed. >> well said. new details about a gunman who killed five service members. we'll give you a closer look, coming up. r's ever sat at the cool table. but your jansport backpack is permission to park it wherever you please. hey. that's that new gear feeling. now get a swiss gear backpack for only $10. office depot officemax. gear up for school. gear up for great. ♪ the staff at this beautiful resort . . . will stay with you forever. ♪ especially if you don't leave. ♪ you got it booking right. booking.com booking.yeah people with type 2 diabetes come from all walks of life. if you have high blood sugar ask your doctor about farxiga. it's a different kind of medicine that works by removing some sugar from your body. along with diet and exercise farxiga helps lower blood

. >> americans detained in iran and robert levinson who has been missing for some years that we think the iranians have knowledge of. >> joining me now me the wife of pastor abedini. great to have you. >> thank you gretchen. >> what do you make -- wendy sherman, she was involved in the negotiations. what do you make of her terminology correction for that reporter? >> well i think they are hostages. our congress has continuously called they will hostages. our administration has said that they are being held unjustly and on bogus charges. and so what do you call that? they have been taken hostage, unfortunately. >> i want to go back to a couple of days ago when the deal was announced and president obama had his news conference. and he got a relatively tough question that involved your husband, still being held in iran and whether or not he felt content that his release was apparently not part of the nuclear deal. listen to this. >> the notion that i am content, as i celebrate with american citizens languishing in iranian jails? major, that's nonsense. and you should know better. >> is i

the least they could have done is let these three americans, maybe four, robert levinson is still beings well -- to let these four out. >> clearly, eastern shouiran sh the four. we should never exchange their freedom for either tens and billions of dollars or con investigations in the nuclear deal. the onus is on iran and if they ask for legitimacy on the global stage, they will release these americans and soon. >> john, you were one of the americans held for 444 days at the u.s. embassy in tehran. eventually you were released. do you believe the iranians will release these four americans? >> they will. but it's a process that plays out inside their own political system. it's very tough to read. this is not helping them at all but there are elements within iranian politics that simply don't care. and for their own reasons are holding them. >> the revolutionary guard and fundamentalist? >> yes. >> so you see a real split within iran between the more moderate and less moderate? >> absolutely. we were part of that whole process as well 36 years ago. >> back in 1979, 1980. a lot of us remem

i call on iran to locate robert levinson missing from iran since 2007. no family should endure the anguish these families feel and we will not rest until they are home where they belong. denying iran nuclear weapons president obama pointed out that is precisely why we are taking this step, because iran armed with a nuclear weapon would be far more destabilizing and dangerous to our friends and to the world. while this deal does not address many of our profound concerns, if implemented it would make the world safer and more secure. yet while reaching this deal matters, our work is far from finished. in the months and even years ahead, the international community must apply the same rigor to insuring compliance as we did to drafting and negotiating it. this is my third point. implementation is everything. that is precisely why so many verification measures are built built into the deal. access will be granted when need where needed, including 220047 containment of declared nuclear facilities. it will have access to the supply chain for mining and milling t

. >> there are these four including robert levinson, the iranians don't claim they know where he is although he did disappear in iran. you want all four freed and freed immediately. >> we would like the three released being detained and we would like more information -- information about mr. levinson's whereabouts. we do believe that tehran has some information about him and we very much would like it. >> how concerned are you that the nuclear deal could in the words of the saudi prince bandar the former saudi ambassador here in the united states, wreak havoc in the middle east? >> look, i think this removes a capability of iran to have obtained nuclear weapons and pushing back on an iran without nuclear weapons. i think we can all agree is -- we have a better chance of success. certainly a better option than pushing back against an iran either on the threshold of nuclear capability or actually in possession of it. so again, as i said earlier, this deal which takes away that capability from iran is safer for the region. it makes the region more secure. and it's better for the national securi

robert levinson is a former fbi agent who vanished in iran in 2007.missing, not detained. let's talk about the americans and the iranian nuclear deal with democratic congressman from michigan dan kildi. i want to talk specifically about amir hekmati, who lives in your district. first i want your take on this deal. the 60-day review period for you and your peers in congress has begun. we saw very spirited debate on the hill today in the senate chamber between secretary kerry and some senators. do you support this deal? >> i'm still evaluating it. i'm generally positive toward this approach. i supported the negotiation. we will go through each step and take the 60 days that we have to evaluate it but i'm generally supportive mainly because i don't see what the other alternatives are. but i will continue to evaluate the deal and come to a final decision after doing a complete review. but the question that members of congress have to ask themselves is not only is this a good deal but is this a good deal as compared to what the path forward looks like if w

and robert levinson cbs news will bring live coverage. scott kelly anchors.s expected to speak at 1:00 p.m. eastern. >>> two people died from the rushing water. indiana and illinois are also dealing with severe weather. powerful winds and heavy rains destroyed more than 150 homes. don dahler is in staff fordsville, kentucky where a state of emergency is in effect. don, good morning. >> reporter: good morning. the rain has stopped for now but there's still a lot of high water in the area. you can see how high the water got at its apex. it's easily five or six feet from where i am. the state of kentucky has declared an emergency as a search continues. the storms have washed away homes and destroyed communities. days of rainfall have left people to regroup. >> pure devastation. >> reporter: the flood has turned deadly. at least six people have been reported missing. melissa blankenship reports on a man who sashd others and is now missing. at least 150 homes have been destroyed. >> i lost everything that i had, everything, everything, except for my life and my so

robert levinson has been missing since 2007.ily and friends of the four men are pleading for their freedom. the obama administration is negotiating their release but the issue is kept separate from nuclear talks. cbs news will bring you live coverage later this morning. scott pelley anchors. the president expected to speak at 10:00 a.m. pacific time. >>> this morning at least six people are still missing in kentucky after violent flooding. two people died from the rushing water. illinois and indiana are also dealing with severe weather. more than 150 homes were destroyed. don dahler is in stafforsesville, kentucky where a state of emergency is in effect. >> reporter: the rain has stopped for now but there's still a lot of flooding and high water in this area. you look at the debris in trees and you can see how high the water got at its apex. five or six feet above where i am now. declared a state of emergency as the search for the missing continues. a violent line of storms pummeling through the midwest has washed away homes and

i call on iran to help locate robert levinson who has been missing from iran since 2007. no family should be forced to endure the anguish these families feel and we will not rest until they are home where they belong. denying iran a nuclear weapon is important not in spite of these other destabilizing actions but rather because of them. as president obama pointed out that is precisely why we are taking this step because an iran with a nuclear weapon would be far more destabilizing to our allies in the world. while this deal does not address many of our concerns, if implemented, it would make the world more safer and secure. if well reaching this deal matters, our work is far from finished. in the months and years ahead, the international community must apply the same rigor to ensuring compliance to the jcpoa as we did to drafting and negotiating it. implementation is everything. that is why so many verification measures have been built into this deal. the kcpoa wil grant the iea access when and where it needs it. inspectors will have access to the entire supply chain that

that country "washington post" bureau chief jason rezaian, and a mere hekmdai saeed abedini, and robert levinson is missing eight years believed to be tied to the intelligence committee. pastor abedini has been taken prisoner since december of 2012. his family has been fighting for his release ever since. his wife joins me now and jay sekulow helping her with her fight. chief council for the american center of law and justice. they have been with us many times on this story. welcome, first of all, to you both. glad to have you with us this morning. >> hey martha. martha: i can imagine what foes in your mind as you listen about possible concessions being made and lifting human rights sanctions against tehran potentially while your husband is being held. is there any indication they would be released if a deal is reached? >> you know it has been really nerve-wracking. i had many sleepless nights including last night, and as the deal continues to get extended. i think if no deal is reached it will be much harder to get him out and if a deal is reached we still lose our leverage over iran. we lost o

in particular, the fates of americans, robert levinson. you and your administration raise the imprisonment of these americans, that still you will sign likely an agreement with tehran in those issues will remain unresolved. what do you say to the families about how you will deal with their loved ones? and i guess the bottom line, do you find the iranian leadership trustworthy? madam president, welcome to the u.s. you canceled the previous trip to the united states following the snowden -- do you need a translation? a little louder, certainly. you canceled your previous trip to the united states following the revelations by edward snowden by the nsa spying on you. are you still troubled by these revelations and have you received assurances and are you satisfied with the answers you have received from the administration? thank you. president obama: first of all, with respect to u.s. citizens who are held in iran, this is something that we continue to push hard on irrespective of the nuclear deal. it is a top priority for us to make sure that

and then retired fbi agent robert levinson who disappeared more than eight years ago. if true he would be one of the longest held american hostages in history. sadly, the wife of pastor abedini marked their 11-year wedding anniversary known he has been refused medical help and enduring regular beatings. she is joining us now along with the executive director of the american center for law and justice. the organization that has been working tirelessly to secure the pastor's freedom. welcome to the both of you. thank you so much for joining us. i know this is very very difficult for you and has been such a horrific ordeal not only for your husband, but for you and your children. are you hopeful now that the u.s. will use its opportunity if it secures this deal to press for the release of your husband and the other hostages? >> i'm hoping that our government is pressing for the release of the americans regardless of what happens with the deal that while we're sitting across the table from iran and they're trying to build some kind of a trust with our government that the f

iran needs to help us find robert levinson. >> the president went on to defend the iran nuclear deal.u back to chattanooga, tennessee, as the terror investigation continues there. did the gunman discuss the plans before the shootings? we have new information on a lead the fbi is following. >>> plus the big driving debate, do democrats have a big uber problem? >>> and -- sci-fi invites you back. we have the director of "sharknado 3" coming up. benny's the oldest dog in the shelter. he needed help all day so i adopted him. when my back pain flared up, we both felt it. i tried tylenol but it was 6 pills a day. with aleve it's just two pills, all day. now i'm back! aleve. all day strong. you pay your auto insurance premium every month on the dot. you're like the poster child for paying on time. and then one day you tap the bumper of a station wagon. no big deal... until your insurance company jacks up your rates. you freak out. what good is having insurance if you get punished for using it? hey insurance companies, news flash. nobody's perfect. for drivers with accident forgiveness, liber

however, robert levinson was reported missing in 2007.y since. joining me now is tv host montel williams. montel, always a pleasure to see you, my friend. >> hi jose. how you doing? >> you've been calling attention to this issue for such a long time now. how do you feel about this deal? >> i'm one of those people that has to say unequivocally, i'm not a nuclear physicist and neither are 90% of the people who are upon fifpontificating whether this is a good deal or bad deal. iran is asking to become a member of the international community again. they're stating that we're on the precipice of new relationships with the west and with the world. if that's true i'm glad our government bifurcated out our hostages from the deal but on the sidelines they're discussing it all the time. now that the deal is supposed to be made this should be the top priority in discussions post the deal. and that's where i'm not hearing a lot about it and where i think the families are concerned, i think a lot of your viewers know i've been working with the hedmani

i call on iran to locate robert levinson ho has been missing from iran since 2007.o families should be forced to endure the anguish, abedini, hekmatty rezaian and levinson families feel. we will not yes, sir until they are home where they belong. denying iran a nuclear weapon is important not in spite of these destablizing actions but rather because of them. as president obama pointed out, quote, that is precisely why we're taking a this step. an iran armed with a nuclear weapon would be far more destablizing to our friends and around the world, end quote. while this deal does not address many of our profound concerns if implemented it would make the world safer and more secure. while reaching this deal matters our work is far from finished. in the months and even years ahead the international community must apply the same rigor to insuring compliances to the jcpoa as we did to drafting and negotiating it this is my third point. implementation is everything. that is precisely why some verification measures have been built into this deal. the jcpoa will grant the iea

but to the families who are missing and attained in iran such as robert levinson, this deal is brought no information regarding their loved ones. this deal is nothing for washington post supporter jason whose brother ali is in this room today. you negotiated with a official who impressed on jason's case and light to the world, -- lied to the world saying we don't jail for people's opinions. a dictator wrote a letter in prison saying, quote, secretary kerryuy is offering economic concessions to save them to economic meltdown as iran and hostages. the only people this deal does anything for directly are the iranian officials who want to execute their people, who hate israel and seek to why the jewish state from the face of the planet, who want to spread mayhem throughout the middle east and help us odd slaughter the syrian people and perhaps kill israelis and americans while they are at it. secretary kerry, i do not fault you for engaging in diplomacy, i don't. i do fault that you are striking a terrible deal with iran. i hope enough of my colleagues can be dissuaded -- persuaded to vote

also, a former marine, and reportedly, retired fbi agent robert levinson. them freed under the new deal with iran. but it's not kerry says for lack of trying. >> there was not a meeting that took place, not one meeting that took place believe me that's not an exaggeration, where we did not raise the issue of our american citizens being held. we remain very, very hopeful that iran will make a decision to do the right thing and to return those citizens to the united states. and we are consistently, constantly, even now, continuing to work on that. >> joining me now, montel williams. a longtime advocate for hostages and their families. good to see you. >> thanks for covering this, because i tell you something, yesterday marks a very pivotal point in the hostages' lives. the president is now saying all four of their names. we're discussing this from the white house rather than everyone else discussing this around the white house. i'm looking at this a little more favorably. i really am. >> you are? >> i really am. maybe it's fake hope. maybe it's fake hope but

we have serious questions about the whereabouts of robert levinson command these are concerns about the treatment of these american citizens by iran that we have raised on the sidelines of these nuclear talks but we have -- and that is something we continue to press, but i do not have an update at this time. >> if in fact a deal is not reached and we walk with the table how concerned is this a ministration that saudi arabia will enter endocrinologist? >> well, one of the reasons that we have sought to pursue a diplomatic opportunity to prevent iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon is the risk that exists that if iran does obtain nuclear weapons that it could set off a nuclear arms race in the most volatile region of the world. that would be destabilizing to an already volatile region of the world and would have a negative impact of a national security interest of the united states that would not be good for our closest ally in the region, israel. that is one of the reasons that we have sought to capitalize on the best opportunity we have to prevent iran from attorney nuclear weapon pursu

hekmati are being unjustly detained in iran, we have some concerns about the whereabouts about robert levinson and these are our concerns about the treatment of these american citizens by iran that we have raised on the sidelines of these nuclear talks. but we have -- and that's something we continue to press but i don't have an update at this point on those ongoing efforts. ok. j.c. j.c.: if in fact a deal is not reached and the u.s. may walk away from the table, how concerned is this administration that saudi arabia will enter a nuclear arms race? josh: well, j.c., the -- one of the reasons that we have sought to pursue a diplomatic opportunity to prevent iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon is the risk that exists, that if iran does obtain a nuclear weapon that it could set off a nuclear arms race in the most volatile region of the world. that would be destabilizing to an already volatile region of the world. it would also have a negative impact on the national security interest of the united states. it obviously would not be good for our oclosest ally in the region, israel. so that is one

official robert levinson. when the secretary of state is asked about why these people weren't part of the negotiations he says, well, this was negotiation about nuclear weapons but not about people unlawfully and wrongly detained. well it quickly became a negotiation about not just nuclear weapons but all kinds of other weapons that we have prevented the iranians from having access to in a worldwide marketplace that that quickly was added to the topic but we couldn't get three americans released and find out more about one american than we know now. the concessions laid out by yesterday's announcement were also, i thought pretty stunning. on the idea of uranium enrichment the obama administration said a year and a half ago that iran didn't have the right to enrich. in november of 2013, the secretary of state told abc news -- quote -- "we do not recognize the right to enrich." it's clear in the nonproliferation treaty, it's very very clear that there was no right to enrich." end quote. under the agreement iran