AP: Iranian TV anchor says US jailed her as warning

WASHINGTON (AP) — A prominent American-born anchorwoman for Iran's state television says she believes the U.S. government jailed her because of her work as a journalist and her beliefs, and as a warning to her to "watch your step."

Marzieh Hashemi spoke to The Associated Press today, a day after being released from custody. She was not charged with a crime but was detained for 10 days as a material witness in a grand jury investigation in Washington. Details of the investigation are under seal, and Hashemi said she could not provide details. But she said it is not related to terrorism and has to do with her job and the fact that she lives in Iran.

Hashemi said her arrest was unnecessary because she would have voluntarily appeared for questioning and would have complied with a federal subpoena.

"I'm not sure what the meaning of 'Make America Great Again' is, but if it means just basically taking away human rights more and more every day, that doesn't seem to be a very great America to me," she said, in a reference to President Donald Trump's campaign slogan.

Responding to a request for comment, the Justice Department noted that federal law allows judges to order witnesses to be detained if the government can "demonstrate probable cause to believe that the witness can provide material evidence, and that it will be impracticable to secure the witness's attendance at the proceedings by means of a subpoena."

The Justice Department had previously released two unsealed court orders. One confirmed she was a material witness and the second confirmed she had been released.

Arrests of material witnesses occur infrequently, but the length of Hashemi's detention wasn't unusual for a material witness.

The case comes at a time of heightened U.S.-Iran tensions over President Donald Trump's withdrawal from a nuclear deal and criticism against Iran over its arrests of dual citizens and other people with Western ties. Iranian officials decried her arrest as part of what they called the "apartheid and racist policy" of the Trump administration.

Hashemi, 59, who works for the Press TV network's English-language service, is a U.S. citizen and was born Melanie Franklin. She lives in Tehran and returns to the United States about once a year to see her family and work on documentaries.