Iran calls for release of Iranian journalist arrested in US - IRNA

Iranian foreign ministry spokesman on Wednesday called for the immediate release of a journalist arrested in the United States while working for Iran's English-language state TV

"We condemn the illegal arrest of Marziyeh Hashemi, the reporter and presenter of Press TV, and the inhumane treatment of her in jail in Washington," Bahram Qasemi was quoted as saying by state news agency IRNA.

Press TV said  Hashemi was arrested at St. Louis Lambert International Airport on Sunday and was being held in custody in Washington DC. No formal charges had been made against her.

Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) officials were not immediately available for comment.

Hashemi, a TV anchor and documentary film maker, was in the United States to visit her family, the broadcaster said, and was allowed to call her daughter two days after her arrest.

According to Press TV, Hashemi was born Melanie Franklin in the United States and changed her name after converting to Islam.

She was quoted as saying by Press TV that she had been prevented from observing the Islamic dress code, hijab, in prison, and she was only offered pork as a meal, which is prohibited in Islam.

The only food she has had over the past two days has been a "packet of crackers," Hashemi was quoted as saying by Press TV.

Claims of her treatment could not be independently verified.

Hashemi had been living in Iran for more than a decade, various Iranian media said.

She has filed several reports on the subject of discrimination against women, Muslims, and African-Americans in the United States.