Journalist in Iran's Evin Prison pleads for medical help for him, U.S. captives

Exclusive Politics From inside Iran's Evin Prison, journalist Reza Valizadeh pleads for medical help for him and other American captives By Margaret Brennan Margaret Brennan Moderator, "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan;" Chief foreign affairs correspondent Margaret Brennan is moderator of "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan" on CBS. Based in Washington, D.C., Brennan is also the Network's chief foreign affairs correspondent and a contributing correspondent to 60 Minutes. Additionally, she appears regularly on the "CBS Evening News," leading coverage from Washington when news breaks on the political and foreign affairs fronts. Read Full Bio Margaret Brennan June 4, 2026 / 11:52 PM EDT / CBS News Add CBS News on Google In a recorded phone call from inside Iran's Evin Prison, Iranian-American journalist Reza Valizadeh made a plea to the U.S. government to obtain medical help for him and other Americans detained in Tehran's notorious prison."Even if treating our diseases is a big demand, it would have at least asked the Iranian authorities to reduce not all the physical pressure and mental torture against us in captivity, but at least some of it," Valizadeh said in the recording recently obtained by CBS News.Since the U.S. and Israel launched airstrikes against Iran three months ago, the country has been under a near-total internet blackout, imposed by the regime, with little to no communication between the detained American and his advocates. Valizadeh's message was transmitted after the regime loosened those restrictions last week.In the two-minute recording, Valizadeh referred to three other Americans also held at Evin Prison. He said the four are suffering from "various diseases and are deprived from real medical services." CBS News has not been able to independently confirm details regarding the three other Americans Valizadeh mentioned in the recording. Valizadeh's lawyer, Ryan Fayhee, told CBS News that ever since the fires caused by a controversial...