Though Mr. Zakka’s son met with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo this year to urge him to help secure his father’s release, American officials have not acknowledged any efforts on Mr. Zakka’s behalf by the United States. The association had received funding from the State Department, the United States Agency for International Development and international aid groups to help develop the tech industry around the region, Mr. Zakka’s advocates said. But, under pressure from his family, Lebanese officials announced last year that they were in talks with Iran concerning Mr. Zakka’s release. Born in northern Lebanon, Mr. Zakka moved to the United States as a teenager to escape Lebanon’s civil war, going to school in Georgia and then graduating from the University of Texas in 1990. As evidence of his alleged ties to American intelligence agencies, Iranian state media outlets had consistently pointed to a photo of Mr. Zakka in what looks like a military uniform.

Source: International New York Times June 10, 2019 21:11 UTC