- Sputnik International
World
Get the latest news from around the world, live coverage, off-beat stories, features and analysis.

US Calls on Iran to Free Washington Post Reporter - State Department

© East News / APJason Rezaian, an Iranian-American correspondent for the Washington Post smiles as he attends a presidential campaign of President Hassan Rouhani in Tehran, Iran. (File)
Jason Rezaian, an Iranian-American correspondent for the Washington Post smiles as he attends a presidential campaign of President Hassan Rouhani in Tehran, Iran. (File) - Sputnik International
Subscribe
US Department of State spokesperson Marie Harf said that US is calling on Iran to free Washington Post journalist Jason Rezaian who Tehran recently charged with espionage.

 

In this photo taken on April 11, 2013, Jason Rezaian, right, an Iranian-American correspondent for the Washington Post, and his wife Yeganeh Salehi - Sputnik International
Iran Charges Washington Post Reporter With Espionage
WASHINGTON (Sputnik) The United States is calling on Iran to free Washington Post journalist Jason Rezaian who Tehran recently charged with espionage, US Department of State spokesperson Marie Harf said during a briefing on Monday.

“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.

 

Newsfeed
0
To participate in the discussion
log in or register
loader
Chats
Заголовок открываемого материала