Jason Rezaian was released in January 2016: 544 days after being arrested in July 2014, he was held in an Iranian prison. The journalist was accused of espionage - after his release, he sued Iran. A US court awarded him and his family a high compensation of 180 million dollars (163 million euros).
"Holding a man hostage and torturing him to gain an advantage in the negotiations with the United States is outrageous," wrote federal judge Richard Leon in his ruling issued on Friday.
The verdict, which goes back to a lawsuit Rezaians against the Islamic Republic, should serve as a deterrent. Rezaian still has trouble sleeping today, sometimes screaming because of nightmares.
Judgment with symbolic character
Given the tensions between Washington and Tehran, the verdict should be symbolic in nature and not enforceable. Rezaian - who has both American and Iranian citizenship - worked as a correspondent for the Washington Post in Tehran. In July 2014, he was arrested along with his wife under spy charges. According to American court documents, the journalist was threatened, among other things, with his execution.
Rezaian was released with three more Americans in January 2016. In return, seven Iranians were pardoned in the United States for alleged violations of US sanctions.
On the same day, the international nuclear agreement with Iran came into force, which should prevent the construction of a nuclear bomb by Tehran. US and EU sanctions on Iran have been lifted. US President Donald Trump unilaterally announced the agreement last May. Thereafter, tough US economic sanctions against Iran came into force again.