A former journalist for RFE/RL who returned to Iran after many years abroad has been arrested in Tehran, a source told RFE/RL on October 15.
Reza Valizadeh, a dual Iranian-U.S. national, was arrested about three weeks ago and is facing charges, including cooperation with Farsi-language media abroad, one of his relatives told RFE/RL.
Iranian officials have not yet commented on Valizadeh's arrest.
Valizadeh left his job as a staff member at RFE/RL’s Radio Farda in November 2022 and stayed abroad for some time.
In his last post on X on August 13, Valizadeh said he had traveled to Tehran on March 16.
The post says that he had "half-finished" negotiations with the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps’ intelligence organization, but in the end he returned to Iran after 14 years on his own responsibility and "without a letter of trust, even verbally."
It is not clear under what circumstances he wrote this post.
A large number of Iranians with dual citizenships have been arrested by the security agencies and charged with committing various crimes. Many of their properties have been seized or blocked, and in some cases their family members inside Iran have been pressured to force these people to return to the country.
Iran is accused of putting pressure on foreign governments to implement its demands by illegally arresting or "taking hostage" foreign nationals, including dual citizens.