
The imprisonment of Valizadeh was acknowledged to AP by the US state department, the news agency said.
Valizadeh previously worked for Radio Farda, an outlet under Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty that is overseen by the US agency for global media, AP said.
The US state department did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment, made out of normal office hours.
The AP report said Iran has not acknowledged detaining Valizadeh, and said Iran’s mission to the UN did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Iran’s of foreign affairs ministry was not immediately able to comment in response to a Reuters request.
Voice of America, another US government-funded media outlet overseen by the agency for global media, first reported the state department was acknowledging Valizadeh’s detention, the AP said.