US Reporter in Iranian Prison Pleads for Medical Care

An American journalist imprisoned in Iran is asking his government for help getting medical care. In an audio message recorded from Tehran's Evin Prison and obtained by CBS News, Iranian American reporter Reza Valizadeh says he and three other Americans held there are ill and cut off from adequate treatment, and urges the US government to at least press Iran to ease "physical pressure and mental torture" if it cannot secure their release. His lawyer said Valizadeh's health worsened after a 2024 airstrike-related fire at the prison, leaving him with a persistent cough, back pain, and dental problems.

The State Department has deemed Valizadeh "wrongfully detained" and contends six Americans are currently held in Iran, but sources tell CBS the detainees are not part of the peace negotiations between Washington and Tehran. Valizadeh, who became a US citizen in 2022 through his work with US-funded Radio Farda, was arrested in Tehran in 2023 and accused of collaborating with a hostile government. From his cell, he also criticized the US decision to return 20 Iranian sailors in May without demanding a prisoner swap, saying he respects the move only if other, undisclosed concessions truly serve US interests. The Committee to Protect Journalists issued a statement calling on the US government to step up efforts to gain Valizadeh's release.