SAN DIEGO (KGTV) - A San Diego veteran who was tortured and imprisoned by the Iranian regime is speaking out about the peace agreement with Iran.
Michael White says the deal has left him feeling frustrated.
"Disappointment primarily, frustration," White said.
That reaction stands in sharp contrast to how he felt in early March, days after the war began and following news of the death of the Iranian leader.
"Elated, celebratory," White said in a March 2 interview.
White's story first drew national attention in 2019, after Iran acknowledged he was being detained. In July 2018, after completing treatment for lymphoma, he flew from San Diego to Iran to visit his fiancée, whom he had met online. During a ride with a tour guide, he was taken into custody.
"They didn't bring food, water, nothing, first 3 days I was there," White said.
White was beaten and tortured. He was also forced to write fake confessions about being a spy. White was later convicted of charges, including Insulting the Supreme Leader, and sentenced to a decade in prison.
Nearly two years after his detention, White was released as part of a prisoner swap during President Trump's first term, before meeting the president.
Earlier this year, White submitted a letter to the White House asking the president to help push out the Iranian regime — both for U.S. security interests and for the Iranian people.
"On a scale of 1 to 10, how brutal is this regime?" I asked.
"I would say a 10," White said.
White says he became close to many Iranians before, during and after his imprisonment, and says contacts have reached out to him since the peace deal was announced.
"I've got messages from contacts. They felt President Trump let them down after encouraging them to rise up," White said. "My fear would be, the oppression would continue and tighten."
White, who remains a Trump supporter, says he hopes the president won't abandon the idea of regime change.
"I would hope … doing covert efforts, to arm and help Iranian people take over," White said. "As long as the regime remains in power, they are a threat to America."
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