US-born Iran State TV journalist arrested by FBI

Iran’s state-run English-language channel is reporting that its American journalist detained in the U.S. will appear in court in Washington on Friday.

Iran has called for the immediate release of TV anchor and documentary filmmaker Marziyeh Hashemian.

The newscaster’s son has said his mother was arrested Sunday in St. Louis by the FBI on a material witness warrant. The FBI has declined to comment.

“Marzieh Hashemi, detained by the FBI on unspecified charges, is due to appear in a Washington, DC, court on Friday,” the state-run Press TV reported, without elaborating.

U.S. Federal law allows the government to arrest and detain a witness if it can prove that their testimony is material to a criminal proceeding and that it cannot guarantee their presence through a subpoena.

According to Press TV, Hashemi was born Melanie Franklin in the United States and changed her name after converting to Islam. She had traveled to the United States to visit her family, the channel said.

Her detention comes amid heightened tensions between Iran and the U.S. after President Donald Trump withdrew America from the nuclear deal.

Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif condemned the arrest a “violation of freedom of speech and unacceptable”.

“She is the wife of an Iranian citizen and we see it as our duty to defend the rights of our citizens,” Zarif told Iran’s Arabic-language state broadcaster Al-Alam news channel.

The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists issued a statement early Friday expressing concern over Hashemi’s case and asked the Justice Department to disclose the reason for her arrest. The group’s statement noted that “Iran routinely jails journalists.”