FRANCE 24 on Monday spoke to the family of Jason Rezaian, a Washington Post journalist held in Tehran since July. Rezaian's mother, Mary, and his brother Ali Rezaian said they are petitioning Iran's leadership for his release.

Rezaian, the Tehran correspondent for US newspaper the Washington Post, was detained on July 22 along with his wife, Yeganeh Salehi, a correspondent for the United Arab Emirates-based newspaper the National.

Rezaian, 38, has dual US-Iranian nationality and has worked for the Post in Tehran since 2012.

The family has been working with Change.org to petition Iran’s President Hassan Rohani and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei for Rezaian's release. They have also set up a website with information on his case.

Mary Rezaian says her son’s health has been deteriorating during his time in detention.

The Washington Post reported on December 7 that Rezaian had been charged after a lengthy court appearance but said the charges levied against him remained unclear.

US Secretary of State John Kerry said in a statement that he was "disappointed" by the reports that Rezaian had been charged and denied bail more than four months after his arrest, most of it spent in solitary confinement.

France24