Reporter among 3 Americans believed held by Iran

WASHINGTON (AP) — Three Americans, including a reporter for The Washington Post, appear to have been detained in Iran, the newspaper said Thursday.

The other two Americans, who have not yet been identified, work as freelance photojournalists.

“We have received credible reports that Jason Rezaian of The Washington Post and his wife Yeganeh Salehi were detained on Tuesday evening in Tehran,” the Post’s foreign editor, Douglas Jehl, said in a statement.

“We are deeply troubled by this news and are concerned for the welfare of Jason, Yeganeh and two others said to have been detained with them. As the Post’s correspondent in Tehran, Jason is an experienced, knowledgeable reporter who deserves protection and whose work merits respect.”

The newspaper said Rezaian, 38, holds both American and Iranian citizenship. His wife is an Iranian citizen who has applied for U.S. permanent residency and works as a correspondent for a newspaper based in the United Arab Emirates.

State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf said the department was aware of the report, but could not comment further due to privacy considerations.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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