Washington Post Correspondent Jason Rezaian, Three Others, Reportedly Detained In Iran

NEW YORK -- Jason Rezaian, the Tehran correspondent for The Washington Post, appears to be detained in Iran, the paper revealed Thursday.

The Post reported that his wife, Yeganeh Salehi, and two others were also detained Tuesday evening. Rezaian holds dual American and Iranian citizenship, while Salehi, a correspondent for the United Arab Emirates-based newspaper The National, is an Iranian citizen and has applied for U.S. permanent residency.

The Post did not name the two other American citizens detained, but identified them as freelance photojournalists.

Its unclear why Iranian authorities would detain them. State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf told the Post that the government is aware of reports of the detentions, but did not provide additional information.

Douglas Jehl, the Posts foreign editor, said in a statement to HuffPost that the paper received credible reports the four are being held.

We are deeply troubled by this news and are concerned for the welfare of Jason, Yageneh and two others said to have been detained with them, Jehl said. Jason is an experienced, knowledgeable reporter who deserves protection and whose work merits respect.

Rezaian has been based in Iran since 2008 and with the Post since 2012. He most recently reported Friday from Vienna on talks over Irans nuclear program.

Laura Rozen, a reporter with Al Monitor, tweeted that she saw Rezaian on Saturday and that he was planning to fly back that night to Tehran.

Thomas Erdbrink , the Tehran bureau chief for the New York Times, condemned the arrest, and the Committee to Protect Journalists said it was "alarmed" by the Post's report.

"We call on Iranian authorities to immediately explain why Jason Rezaian, Yeganeh Salehi, and two other journalists have been detained, and we call for their immediate release," said Sherif Mansour, the organization's Middle East and North Africa program coordinator, in a statement. "Iran has a dismal record with regard to its treatment of imprisoned journalists. We hold the Iranian government responsible for the safety of these four."

Iran, an authoritarian regime, strictly controls its domestic media and has detained foreign journalists in the past. There are currently 35 journalists in prison in Iran, according to CPJ.