The Washington Post reports: Jason Rezaian, a Washington Post reporter who has been detained in Iran for more than four months, was officially charged Saturday in a day-long proceeding in a Tehran courtroom, according to a source familiar with the case.

The specifics of the charges are still unknown, at least to those not present in the courtroom. The court appearance came two days after word arrived in the West that Rezaian’s detention has been extended until mid-January because the investigation against him is continuing.

The charges were the first lodged since Rezaian, an Iranian American who holds dual citizenship, was arrested July 22. His family has hired a lawyer for him, but the attorney has not been permitted to visit him. The State Department has repeatedly raised the case of Rezaian, and other Americans jailed in Iran, during lengthy talks with the Tehran government about a deal to curb Iran’s nuclear capacity and ease international sanctions. [Continue reading…]