The US says it is investigating the case of an American imprisoned in Iran

The Biden administration says it is reviewing Iran's apparent recent detention of an Iranian-American dual citizen, who is the only U.S. citizen publicly detained by the Islamic Republic since a rare U.S.-Iran prisoner swap in September 2023.

In response to a VOA query last week, the State Department said in a statement that it was “aware of reports that a dual U.S.-Iranian citizen has been arrested in Iran.”

The reports refer to Reza Valizadeh, a former journalist at VOA sister station Radio Farda, who left the Persian-language channel in 2022. He flew to Tehran in February to visit his family after living in the West for 14 years, according to his last post on the X Platform in August.

Iran views Radio Farda and other Western-based Persian media as hostile entities because they draw attention to public dissent and protests against the country's authoritarian Islamist rulers.

“We are working with our Swiss partners, who serve as the protecting force of the United States in Iran, to gather further information about this case,” a State Department spokesman said.

“Iran routinely wrongfully imprisons U.S. citizens and citizens of other countries for political reasons. This practice is cruel and contrary to international law,” the spokesman added.

An informed source in Iran told VOA's Persian service that Valizadeh was arrested in Iran in late September on charges of collaborating with Persian media based abroad. The source requested anonymity because Iran has repeatedly harassed people who make public comments to Western media.

The Iran-based human rights group Human Rights Activists in Iran (HRAI) and the U.S.-based media rights group Committee to Protect Journalists reported in mid-October that Valizadeh had been held in Tehran's Evin Prison since his arrest and had no access to a lawyer. The reports cited two sources: one close to Valizadeh's family and one who previously worked with Valizadeh.

Iran's U.N. mission in New York acknowledged receiving a VOA request for comment on Valizadeh's case last week but did not respond.

Skylar Thompson, HRAI's Washington-based deputy director, said in a message to VOA that the State Department “must use all available diplomatic channels to investigate Valizadeh's detention and ensure his immediate, unhindered access to legal representation.”

In his last X-post in August, Valizadeh wrote that he returned to Iran in February after only “halfway through” negotiations with the intelligence agency of Iran's top armed forces, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. He said he decided to return voluntarily even without receiving any prior written or verbal assurance that the IRGC would not impede his visit.

In Valizadeh's previous X post, published in February after his arrival in Iran, he said Iranian intelligence agents had summoned and pressured his family members to persuade him to return.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has tried to convince Iranians living abroad that they have nothing to fear if they return.

“We must assure them that we will not initiate proceedings against them if they return to Iran. We will not harass them and we will not stop them from leaving the country,” Pezeshkian said in an interview with state news agency ISNA in August.

Jason Brodsky, policy director for the U.S. advocacy group United Against Nuclear Iran, told VOA that Valizadeh's arrest should serve as a warning to Iranians with dual nationality that Tehran's assurances cannot be trusted.

“Over the years, there have been cases where Iranians abroad received an entry permit from a government agency in Iran and then a competing agency tracked down that person and took that person hostage,” Brodsky said.

According to HRAI sources and Iranian freelance journalist Nejat Bahrami, who first reported Valizadeh's arrest in a social media post on October 13, Valizadeh was scheduled to be tried before Revolutionary Court judge Abolghassem Salavati. Salavati was sanctioned by the US government for Iranian citizens and those with dual nationality being harshly punished for exercising their freedom of expression and assembly.

“It seems like Valizadeh is wrongfully imprisoned,” said Kylie Moore-Gilbert, an Australian political scientist who was herself imprisoned in Iran from 2018 to 2020 on alleged security allegations from Western states.

In an email to VOA, Moore-Gilbert wrote that Valizadeh's journalism “would certainly make him a person of interest to the IRGC.”

“The fact that he was referred to the Salavati Revolutionary Court is also significant, as this judge is favored by the IRGC for handling political cases, including the unlawful detention of foreigners and dual nationals,” she wrote.

Granting unlawful detention of a U.S. citizen means that U.S. Special Envoy for Hostage Affairs Roger Carstens is authorized to work with a coalition of government and private sector organizations to ensure the detainee's freedom.

The appointment occurs when a review by the Secretary of State concludes that the U.S. citizen's case meets the criteria set forth in the Levinson Act of 2020.

Any of Valizadeh's family members or legal representatives living abroad should “immediately” petition the U.S. Secretary of State for unlawful detention, Moore-Gilbert said. Valizadeh's recent work as a journalist should make the process “relatively straightforward” unlike other cases, she added.

The State Department spokesperson, who provided the statement to VOA, said the agency “continuously monitors the circumstances surrounding the detentions of U.S. citizens abroad for signs that the detentions may be unlawful.”

The Biden administration secured the release of five Iranian Americans it said were unjustly imprisoned in Iran in a September 2023 deal, with five Iranians in the U.S. also receiving reprieves from detention and prosecution.

This agreement is the only prisoner exchange between the US and Iran during Biden's term so far. This included the US allowing $6 billion in Iranian funds frozen at South Korean banks due to US sanctions to be transferred to Qatar so that Iran could use them for humanitarian purchases. A US Treasury Department spokesman told US media last month that the funds remained “immobilized” after Iran supported the Hamas terrorist attack on Israel in October 2023.

“The detention of Valizadeh raises the question of whether the Iranians are holding him hostage for an exchange involving the movement of these assets in Qatar or for something even larger,” Brodsky said.

“Every time we make a deal like this, it encourages the Iranians to take more hostages,” he added. “That is why we need a comprehensive strategy to apply common hostage-taking penalties against Iran, including sanctions and diplomatic isolation, working with our allies and partners.”

This report was prepared in collaboration with VOA's Persian service.