A bipartisan group of senators is urging Secretary of State Marco Rubio to make the release of an American journalist imprisoned in Iran an "urgent priority," warning that his health has deteriorated and his life could be at risk.

In a letter to Rubio obtained by CBS News, Sens. Brian Schatz, Democrat of Hawaii, Republican Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, Democrat Jacky Rosen of Nevada and Republican Dave McCormick of Pennsylvania called on the Trump administration to use "all available diplomatic channels" to secure the release of Reza Valizadeh, a U.S.-Iranian dual citizen and former journalist for U.S.-funded broadcaster Radio Farda.

"With every day of continued detention, Mr. Valizadeh's life is in danger," the senators wrote. "We are extremely concerned that Iranian authorities could take sudden, arbitrary actions to endanger his life."

Valizadeh, 49, has been imprisoned in Iran since September 2024, after returning to Tehran earlier that year to visit his aging parents. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison for "collaborating with a hostile government," a charge tied to his work for Radio Farda and alleged cooperation with the United States. The State Department formally designated him as wrongfully detained in May 2025.

The senators said Valizadeh's health has "significantly deteriorated" at Tehran's Evin Prison and that he has repeatedly been denied medical care, including an inhaler he needs to treat his asthma.

The State Department said in a statement after this article was originally published, "The regime should immediately release Reza Valizadeh and all Americans unjustly detained in Iran."

Valizadeh has previously described worsening conditions inside Evin in recordings obtained by CBS News. In June, he appealed to the U.S. government to secure his release and said he and other Americans detained there were not receiving adequate medical treatment.

The congressional appeal comes just over two weeks after another American designated as wrongfully detained, Kamran Hekmati, was released from Evin Prison on Sept. 5 after serving roughly half of a two-year sentence. Hekmati remains barred from leaving Iran, and the State Department has called on Tehran to lift the exit ban so he can return to the United States.

In July, Dena Karari, a U.S.-Iran dual citizen who was also barred from leaving Iran on allegations of espionage and collaborating with a hostile state, was released and returned to the U.S. after suffering a heart attack, sources told CBS News. 

Rubio said in June that the administration raises the cases of wrongfully detained Americans at "every opportunity," calling their release a "highest priority," but he has declined to discuss individual cases, saying that could complicate efforts to free them.

The senators' push comes as the Trump administration weighs its next steps in the nearly seven-month war with Iran, with the conflict and prospects for renewed diplomacy expected to be raised in meetings this week during the U.N. General Assembly in New York.

"Reza deserves the full attention and support of President Trump and the United States government, and he should be released immediately," said Ryan Fayhee, Valizadeh's attorney. "As world leaders gather for the U.N. General Assembly, Iran has an opportunity to demonstrate goodwill through action. The release of Reza would not resolve every issue between our nations, but it could help break a cycle of mistrust that has made it unsafe for Iranian-Americans to visit the country of their heritage," Fayhee said. 

The senators described Valizadeh's detention as part of a longstanding pattern by Tehran of targeting journalists and dual nationals, writing that "Iran is not afraid to use American citizens as political pawns."

"We ask that his freedom and welfare be an urgent priority through all available diplomatic channels with Iranian officials," they wrote.

In:

• United States Senate
• Iran
• Marco Rubio