Jason Rezaian, a Washington Post reporter, detained in Iran for over four months has been officially charged in a Tehran court.
But the nature of the charges has not been made public.
Rezaian's court appearance Saturday came two days after his detention was extended until mid-January because the investigation against him is still continuing, the Washington Post reported Sunday.
First, the charges were filed since Rezaian, an Iranian-American who holds dual citizenship, was arrested July 22 along with his wife Yeganeh Salehi, also a journalist. She was, however, released on bail in October.
Rezaians' family hired an attorney for him, but the lawyer has not been permitted to visit him.
According to an official, Rezaian spent about 10 hours in court while his case was reviewed by a judge. After this, Rezaian signed a document, saying he understood that he was being formally charged.
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The official, however, said it could take as long as a month for the charges to be delivered to the full court, which would then set a trial date.
Meanwhile, the US government said its requests for a consular access has been ignored.
"Iranian government continues to deny our repeated requests for Consular Access to Jason by our Protecting Power, the Swiss, so we are unable to check on his condition or ensure adequate legal representation," US Secretary of State John Kerry said in a statement Sunday.
"Jason poses no threat to the Iranian government or to Iran's national security. We call on the Iranian government to drop any and all charges against Jason and release him immediately so that he can be reunited with his family," Kerry added.