US Secretary of State John Kerry Condemns Iran's Charges on Washington Post Journalist

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is "deeply disappointed and concerned" regarding the charges that have been brought against The Washington Post journalist in Iran more than four months after he was detained for "unknown crimes".

The Washington Post bureau chief in Tehran, Jason Rezanian, is an Iranian American with dual citizenship. The journalist has been the paper's bureau chief in Tehran since 2012 and has been officially charged with unspecified crimes.

"We are also distressed by reports that Jason was not allowed access to an attorney, which is a clear violation of Iran's own laws and international norms," Kerry said.

He added that Rezanian does not pose any 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."

His family released a statement Sunday in which it stated that "in its ongoing disregard of Iran's own laws, the Iranian judiciary has continued to deny Jason access to legal representation, denied his request for bail, and prevented access to review of his case file."

The family called on Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei "to show the international community that Iran is indeed a country that respects its laws."

Rezanian attended a 10-hour court session Saturday in Tehran, where a judge revisited his case. Later, the journalist was asked to sign a document to acknowledge that he was aware of the fact that he was being charged officially.

Rezanian's family told NBC News that it was "deeply saddened to confirm that, after being held in solitary confinement without charge for 137 days, Jason Rezaian was charged with unknown crimes by the government of Iran."