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Iran Says No Plans To Swap Detained Washington Post Reporter


An Iranian deputy foreign minister has said the Islamic republic has no plans to swap detained Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian for any Iranian prisoners held in the United States.

Iranian media quoted Hassan Qashqavi, who is in charge of consular, parliamentary, and expatriate affairs, as saying on August 25, "An exchange of prisoners is not on the agenda."

Rezaian, the Washington Post's Tehran bureau chief, holds dual U.S.-Iranian citizenship.

The 39-year-old has been imprisoned in Iran for more than a year on espionage charges.

The newspaper, the U.S. government, and major press freedom organizations around the world have denounced the case and called for Rezaian's release.

At the end of Rezaian's trial on August 10, his lawyer said the verdict should come "within a week."

Based on reporting by AP, ISNA, and Tasnim

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