White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said on Sunday the United State had begun to communicate with Iran over the country's detention of American citizens.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in early February that the United States was committed to seeking "the release of Americans held hostage or wrongfully detained abroad," without mentioning Iran.
Asked if the Biden administration had started hostage negotiations with Iran over a number of American citizens being held in the country, Sullivan told CBS News' "Face the Nation" that the issue was a "complete and utter outrage".
"We have begun to communicate with the Iranians on this issue," Sullivan said.