An Iranian-American journalist who once worked for a US government-funded broadcaster is believed to have been detained by Iran for months, authorities said yesterday, further raising the stakes as Tehran threatens to retaliate over an Israeli attack on the country.
The US Department of State’s acknowledgment of the imprisonment of Reza Valizadeh came as Iran yesterday marked the 45th anniversary of the US embassy takeover and hostage crisis.
It also followed Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei threatening Israel and the US the day before with “a crushing response” as long-range B-52 bombers reached the Middle East in an attempt to deter Tehran.
Photo: EPA-EFE
Valizadeh had worked for Radio Farda, an outlet under Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty that is overseen by the US Agency for Global Media. In February, he wrote on social media that his family members had been detained in an effort to have him return to Iran.
In August, Valizadeh apparently posted two messages suggesting he had returned to Iran, despite Tehran viewing Radio Farda as a hostile outlet.
“I arrived in Tehran on March 6, 2024. Before that, I had unfinished negotiations with the [Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corp’s] intelligence department,” the message read in part. “Eventually I came back to my country after 13 years without any security guarantee, even a verbal one.”
Rumors have been circulating for weeks that Valizadeh had been detained.
The Human Rights Activists News Agency, which monitors cases in Iran, said that he had been detained on arrival to the country earlier this year, but later released.
He was then rearrested and sent to Evin Prison, where he faces a case in the Islamic Revolutionary Court, which routinely holds closed-door hearings in which defendants face secret evidence, the agency reported.
“We are working with our Swiss partners who serve as the protecting power for the United States in Iran to gather more information about this case,” the US State Department said. “Iran routinely imprisons US citizens and other countries’ citizens unjustly for political purposes. This practice is cruel and contrary to international law.”
Meanwhile, outside the former US embassy in Tehran, which is now a museum known as the “Den of Spies,” demonstrators chanted “death to Israel, death to America,” while others burnt Israeli and US flags to mark the anniversary of the 1979 hostage crisis.
Regional tensions have soared since the outbreak of the Gaza war in October last year, triggered by the Palestinian Hamas militant group’s unprecedented attack on Israel.
Israel, an ally of the US and long-standing foe of Iran, has since engaged in a deadly conflict with Iran-backed groups including Hamas and Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Additional reporting by AFP
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