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Iran: US journalist goes on trial in Tehran on charges of spying

AN Iranian security court held the first hearing yesterday in the closed trial of a US-Iranian reporter accused of spying.

Washington Post correspondent Jason Rezaian is being tried in a Revolutionary Court in Tehran on charges of espionage for the hostile government of the United States and propaganda against the Islamic republic.

The reporter, his wife Yeganeh Salehi and two photojournalists were arrested in Tehran on July 22 last year. All except Mr Rezaian were subsequently released.

He was born in the US, has spent most of his life there and holds dual US and Iranian citizenship. However, Iran does not recognise second nationalities for its citizens.

Last week, Mr Rezaian’s lawyer Leila Ahsan claimed that Ms Salehi, a reporter for the National newspaper in Abu Dhabi and a freelance photographer who worked for foreign media, would also stand trial.

US officials have repeatedly pressed Iran to release Mr Rezaian and other jailed US citizens.

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