Rosen recounts that during his captivity, he was "beaten, tortured, forced to endure mock executions, starved and used as a political pawn" and that "the experience left [him] with deep scars, but gave [him] a platform to advocate policies that put people over politics."

Rosen says that Iran is still taking and holding hostages. Last month, he traveled to Vienna to deliver a message to U.S. diplomats who are negotiating a restoration of the Iran nuclear deal, which would presumably involve a lifting of the brutal economic sanctions that the U.S. has imposed on the Iranian people. His message is: Don't enter into any deal until those hostages are released. He's also gone on a hunger strike to emphasize his message.