Wife of missing retired FBI agent: 'I believe the Iranian government has my husband'

Is Iran behind photos of missing ex-FBI agent?

Washington officials now suspect Iranian government is behind 2-year-old images of Robert Levinson and his family wants help

This is a rush transcript from "On the Record," January 8, 2013. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.

GRETA VAN SUSTEREN, FOX NEWS HOST: Tonight, the family of retired FBI agent Robert Levinson releasing extraordinary photos of him as a hostage. In 2007, Levinson vanished into thin air on the Iranian island of Kish. And then two years ago, a hostage video anonymously sent to Levinson's family, raising the possibility that Levinson was being held by terrorists.

But now, U.S. intelligence officials say the Iranian government may be behind the video and the just released photos. Levinson's wife, Christine, is calling for added pressure on Iran, and she joins us. Good evening.

CHRISTINE LEVINSON, WIFE OF MISSING ROBERT LEVINSON: Hi, Greta. Thank you for having me.

VAN SUSTEREN: I'm happy to have you here. Every time that we have you on the air, I think, some day, you and I will going to be talking and your husband's going to be sitting right next to you. And these photos that you've now released tonight give, you know, a lot of hope that your husband is still alive. I take it you believe he's still alive.

LEVINSON: I believe he is still alive. I believe that he is spending every waking hour making sure that he is well enough to come home to us.

VAN SUSTEREN: Now, when you look at these pictures, do you have any idea when they may have been taken? Are they dated in any way?

LEVINSON: I have not been able to find a date on these. I do think that they were taken earlier than the video, only because I've been told that doctors have looked at the video and said that he could not possibly have grown hair like he has in this picture the way -- in the short amount of time between the pictures and the video.

VAN SUSTEREN: Now, we don't show the hostage video here. We're just using these still pictures. But I'm curious, when...

LEVINSON: Right.

VAN SUSTEREN: ... when you look at the picture, do you have any doubt whatsoever that that's your husband?

LEVINSON: No. No, not at all. This is my husband.

VAN SUSTEREN: It was suggested by Secretary of State Clinton at least a year ago, maybe almost two years ago, that he was being held someplace in South Asia. I mean, there's even a suggestion being he might be Pakistan being held by terrorists. Do you know why she thought that?

LEVINSON: The emails came from Pakistan, and that is why I believe we started looking at the possibility. But I don't believe that he is there. I believe he is still in Iran.

VAN SUSTEREN: When you say email, you mean the e-mail containing these photos, is that right?

LEVINSON: Correct.

VAN SUSTEREN: And I know that an effort was made to try to find the source of the email. Did you get any information at all as to who might have sent the -- sent them to you?

LEVINSON: No. The email address was used one time and one time only.

VAN SUSTEREN: Was it an email to you directly or to somebody else?

LEVINSON: It was directly to me.

VAN SUSTEREN: So, I mean, I guess that either they -- I assume that the email was obtained from your husband, your email address. I assume that's how they -- that they got it. Was that your assumption?

LEVINSON: I assume so because he had that on his person when he disappeared, or was taken.

VAN SUSTEREN: All right. So now there's been a shift. Now the United States -- the State Department believes -- and I don't know if -- do you believe this, as well -- that he is not being held by terrorists but by the Iranian government or someone in Iran?

LEVINSON: I do believe that the Iranian government has my husband.

VAN SUSTEREN: When you go back in history the last couple years, the United States has been very aggressive to try to help get Americans home. Best example probably are the three hikers, the three young college students, or post-college student, hikers who were there. Are they trying to help you? What are they doing for you?

LEVINSON: Well, the FBI -- the people working the case on a daily basis are FBI agents. And they have tried very hard to find out information about Bob and get him returned to our family safely. Unfortunately, that hasn't happened.

They haven't been able to get the kind of information we would hope they would be able to obtain. Diplomatically -- it takes a long time for each diplomatic request to go through all of the channels. And I know over the course of all these years that the government and the State Department have tried to do that but have been unsuccessful.

I feel that there needs to be more attention to the case, and that's why I am putting these pictures out and trying to get everyone to -- to be reminded that Bob is still missing...

VAN SUSTEREN: And I assume...

LEVINSON: ... or in custody.

VAN SUSTEREN: I assume there have been some communications, maybe not directly between the U.S. and Iran, but through some -- you know, some other third nation. Has Iran ever made an admission that they know where he is or that they're holding him or want him for any particular reason? Or have they denied flatly that they have him?

LEVINSON: The only time we ever received information about Bob was in April of 2007, when a state-sanctioned station, Press TV, published a page that said that Bob was in Iranian custody and would be released in a few days.

VAN SUSTEREN: What can we do for you and your family?

LEVINSON: I'm just hoping that you will make sure that everyone is aware that he is not home, that all of the other Americans, Iranian- Americans and Americans that have been held in Iran have been returned home, and Bob has not. This is very frustrating.

Our oldest daughter is getting married in a month, and we don't have any reason why Bob is being held and we have no information about how to get him home. And we know that Iran can do that.

VAN SUSTEREN: Have you spoken -- have you had any chance to speak directly over the years directly to Secretary of State Clinton or President Obama about your husband?

LEVINSON: I have spoken to each of them.

VAN SUSTEREN: And they've said what?

LEVINSON: That they will do everything they can to help us get Bob home.

VAN SUSTEREN: And what are they doing?

LEVINSON: I believe that they're working through diplomatic channels, as I said. The ones I know are working on a daily basis are the FBI agents, and they have been extremely diligent in uncovering anything they can find about Bob.

VAN SUSTEREN: Well, I know that you've been very patient. Your family has been very patient. And I know that you want the government to do anything it can. I just hope that the United States can sort of step up the pressure. We don't like to leave Americans overseas like that.

Anyway, Christine, thank you. Always nice to see you. And you know, come on back.

LEVINSON: Thank you. Thank you.