“We have seen the reports of course from his lawyer and others that he has been charged with espionage and other security-related charges,” Harf said. “If the reports are true these charges are, as we’ve said in the past, patently absurd. He [Rezaian] should immediately be freed so he can return to his family and charges should immediately be dismissed.”
On Monday, The Washington Post reported that its Tehran bureau chief Jason Rezaian had been charged by Iranian authorities with espionage and three other serious crimes, including collaborating with hostile governments and propaganda.
Harf explained that the State Department has yet to see any official announcement from the Iranian judicial authorities on the charges against the journalist.
Rezaian, who holds Iranian and US citizenship, initially worked in Iran as a special correspondent in 2012 and was arrested on July 22, 2014. Rezaian’s wife, Yeganeh Salehi, was also arrested, but she was later released on bail.
In March 2015, US President Barack Obama called on the Iranian Government to release three American citizens who are detained in Tehran, including Rezaian.
Meanwhile, Iran and the P5+1 group of countries that include the United States, France, China, Russia and the United Kingdom plus Germany are trying to finalize a nuclear agreement with Iran by June 30, 2015 to ensure the peaceful nature of the Tehran’s nuclear program.
Tehran and Washington broke off diplomatic relations in 1979 after the Islamic revolution took place in Iran.