Solution sought for detained reporter

TEHRAN — Iran’s foreign minister said Saturday that the charges against jailed Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian are serious, but he is seeking to resolve the case from a “humanitarian perspective.”

Mohammad Javad Zarif provided no further details during a security conference Saturday to discuss Syria as well as Iran’s future role in the region following a landmark nuclear agreement reached with world powers in July.

Rezaian, who has been jailed for over a year on charges of espionage, was recently convicted by a Revolutionary Court. Iranian officials have not provided details on the verdict or sentence.

“The issue over this defendant is a judicial process but we are making efforts to resolve it from a humanitarian perspective,” Zarif said.

Rezaian was detained with his wife, who is a journalist for the National newspaper in the United Arab Emirates, and two photojournalists on July 22, 2014. All were later released except Rezaian.

Rezaian, the Post’s Tehran bureau chief since 2012, grew up in Marin County, spent most of his life in the United States, and holds both American and Iranian citizenship. Iran does not recognize dual nationality for its citizens.

Iran’s state media, citing the indictment, have said Rezaian collected information on Iranian and foreign individuals and companies circumventing sanctions and passed them on to the U.S. government. Iranian state TV has repeatedly called Rezaian an “American spy.”

Earlier this month, the intelligence department of the powerful elite Revolutionary Guard claimed in a report to parliament that Rezaian is an agent seeking to “overthrow” Iran’s Islamic ruling system.

Rezaian’s lawyer, Leila Ahsan, said Saturday that political issues are complicating the legal case.

“It’s not a normal case,” she said. “Under the law, the verdict should have been issued one week after the end of the trial. It didn’t happen.”

Rezaian last appeared in court on Aug. 10. He faced multiple charges including espionage in a closed-door trial that has been widely criticized by the U.S. government and press freedom organizations.