Ex-FBI agent missing 6 years

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WASHINGTON, March 8 (UPI) -- U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry met Friday with the wife and son of Robert Levinson, a retired FBI agent who disappeared in Iran in 2007.

The meeting took place the day before the sixth anniversary of Levinson's disappearance from Iran's Kish Island, where he had traveled as a private investigator.

In a statement released by the State Department, Kerry said efforts remain under way to find Levinson, who turns 65 Sunday. A $1 million reward is being offered for information on his whereabouts leading to his safe return.

"The United States continues to welcome the assistance of our international partners in this investigation and calls on the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran to uphold its offer to help find Mr. Levinson and return him safely to his family," Kerry said. "I met with Mr. Levinson's wife and son today to reiterate that the U.S. government remains committed to locating Mr. Levinson and reuniting him safely with his family."

White House press secretary Jay Carney issued a statement saying finding Levinson "remains a high priority for the United States, and we will continue to do all that we can to bring him home safely to his friends and family, so they may begin to heal after so many years of extraordinary grief and uncertainty."

Carney said the U.S. government looks forward to receiving assistance from the Iranian government "even as we disagree on other key issues."

Besides his wife and son, Levinson's family includes six other children and two grandchildren.

He served 22 years in the FBI, retiring in 1998.