According to a report by CNN, on Wednesday, Iran's foreign ministry said that US Navy veteran Michael White is in Iranian custody, confirming claims made by White's mother just one day earlier. Ministry spokesman Bahram Ghasemi said, "Michael White was arrested in the city of Mashhad a while ago, and within a few days after his arrest the US government was informed of the arrest through the Swiss Embassy in Tehran." CNN reports that news about White's detention comes amid rising tensions between the United States and Iran, since May when the United States withdrew from a nuclear deal and reinstated strict sanctions against the country.