A spokesman for Iran’s judiciary says a Washington Post reporter and two other journalists detained last month are being held over “security issues.”

Post reporter Jason Rezaian, his wife Yeganeh Salehi and two photojournalists were detained July 22 in Iran’s capital, Tehran. One photojournalist was later released.

A report Monday by Iran’s official IRNA news agency quoted spokesman Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejehi as saying officials are still in the “initial stages of investigation.” However, Ejehi said: “The reason behind their detention is not financial but security issues.” He didn’t elaborate.

The Washington Post has said 38-year-old Rezaian holds both American and Iranian citizenship. His wife is an Iranian citizen who has applied for U.S. permanent residency and works as a correspondent for a newspaper based in the United Arab Emirates.

(AP)