Iran trial of US reporter top open Tuesday

The trial of the Washington Post's Tehran correspondent Jason Rezaian, in custody for 10 months and accused of espionage, will open in Iran on Tuesday, a senior judicial official said.

Judiciary spokesman Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejeie, quoted Monday by the ISNA news agency, said that Rezaian's lawyer and an interpreter will be present in court but declined to give further details.

"I cannot reveal the details of the case but the trial will take place tomorrow and it will be up to the judge to decide whether the trial will be public or not," he said.

Rezaian, an Iranian-American, was arrested in July last year in a politically sensitive case that has unfolded while Iran and world powers conduct nuclear talks. He is being held in Tehran's notorious Evin prison.

The 39-year-old was formally charged with espionage, collaboration with hostile governments, gathering classified information and disseminating propaganda against Iran.

The United States and the Washington Post have branded the charges against him absurd, urging his release.

His lawyer Leila Ahsan said last week that Rezaian's wife, Yeganeh Salehi, an Iranian who is also a journalist, and another suspect, have also been summoned to court in Tehran for Tuesday's trial.

Ahsan said the file against Rezaian contains "no justifiable proof".

The Washington Post, in an editorial published Friday, said that the case lacked transparency and Ahsan had been allowed to meet Rezaian only once.

"What is absolutely clear is that Mr. Rezaian is entirely innocent of the charges, including espionage, that have been lodged against him," the newspaper insisted.

Rezaian was detained in Tehran on July 22, along with Salehi and two others, one of whom had worked as a photographer for the Post. Salehi and the two other suspects have been released on bail.