TEHRAN — Iranian-American journalist Reza Valizadeh, detained in Iran's Evin Prison, has requested U.S. government assistance to obtain medical care for himself and other Americans held there. Valizadeh also criticized the U.S. for not leveraging the recent release of Iranian sailors as part of a prisoner exchange.

Valizadeh identified three other Americans held at Evin Prison in a recorded message. He also expressed dismay regarding the U.S. decision to release Iranian sailors seized from a ship and return them to Iran last month. "The U.S. government could have demanded our exchange in return. However, it did not happen," Valizadeh said.

Valizadeh suffers from persistent back pain and dental issues. He has also experienced difficulty speaking without coughing following fires caused by an Israeli airstrike on Evin Prison last June. "Even if treating our diseases is a big demand, it would have at least asked the Iranian authorities to reduce not all the physical pressure and mental torture against us in captivity, but at least some of it," Valizadeh added.

Iranian authorities restricted internet access, limiting communication between detained Americans and their advocates, though restrictions were loosened last week.

Ryan Fayhee, Valizadeh's attorney, stated that his client does not have much to lose in sharing his words with the American public. "He's survived an airstrike on the prison, he survived the prison itself. As for being a journalist, he doesn't have much to lose here in reaching out and communicating with me and directing me, in fact, as his lawyer, to share his words with the American public," Fayhee said. "They have talked about everything else involved in the negotiations except for this issue, and I hope they will begin to share with the public what steps they are taking to recover Reza," Fayhee said.

The U.S. State Department formally designated Valizadeh as wrongfully detained in May 2025. His case was placed under the authority of the U.S. hostage affairs office.

Valizadeh became a U.S. citizen in 2022 through his work for U.S.-funded broadcaster Radio Farda, which operates as the Persian branch of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. He was no longer employed by Radio Farda at the time of his return to Iran. Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps agents detained Valizadeh on a Tehran street, confiscated his belongings including his U.S. passport, and transferred him to Evin Prison. Valizadeh was charged with collaborating with a hostile government, a charge routinely used by Iranian authorities against journalists and activists. "His former colleagues await the day that Reza can rejoin his loved ones and once again be free," Capus said.